Digimon Adventures and Guardian Belief
by ChibiLover123
Summary: Digimon, teenagers, and danger, oh my! Is it surprising that the Guardians are more worried about dealing with the teenagers? Jack/OC Bunny/OC Tooth/OC Sandy/OC OC/OC CHAPTER 13 UP!
1. Characters

One day was all it took for everything they knew to be turned on it's head. With Digimon partners and the Guardians of Childhood at their backs, the Digidestined stand as the only thing between humanity and destruction. _Yeah, no pressure_...

Life is never easy, but it at least has the decency to be logical.

Casey and her friends find logic twisted on it's head when, one day, they are given Digimon partners and charged with saving two worlds from utter annihilation. Not to mention meeting the Guardians!

With the help of North, Bunnymund, Tooth, Sandy and Jack, the girls struggle to grasp their centers and find who they really are in time to stop Pitch and the evil Digimon from destroying everything they care about.

A story of courage, of friendship, of love; of searching, and acceptance...

But most of all, it is a story of _believing_.

-

Pairings:  
Jack/Kimi  
Bunnymund/Casey  
Tooth/Prema  
Sandy/Alessia  
Faye/Beathas  
(familial) Faye/North/Beathas

* * *

Name: Casey Kelley ('brave' 'warrior')  
Age: 16  
Crest: Courage  
Digimon Partner: Agumon  
Hair: Dark red, wavy, down to her elbows and usually held up in a ponytail.  
Eye Color: Amber  
Skin Tone/Build: Sun-tanned/Curved, toned  
Height: 5'2''

Name: Kimi Mercina ('secret' 'compassion/forbearance')  
Age: 16  
Crest: Friendship  
Digimon Partner: Gabumon  
Hair: Black, straight, down to her waist and usually held back in a braid  
Eye Color: Dark blue  
Skin Tone/Build: Pale/Lean  
Height: 5'8''

Name: Prema 'Ma' Nitya ('love' 'forever')  
Age: 16  
Crest: Love  
Digimon Partner: Biyomon  
Hair: Light brown with bright red bangs, slightly curly, down to her neck and usually in low, spiky pigtails  
Eye Color: Dark brown  
Skin Tone/Build: Slightly sun-tanned/Leanly muscled  
Height: 5'7''

Name: Beathas 'Bea' 'Bee' Warner ('wise' 'defender')  
Age: 14  
Crest: Knowledge  
Digimon Partner: Tentomon  
Hair: Dark brown, messy curls, down to her shoulders and usually held back with a headband.  
Eye Color: Purple  
Skin Tone/Build: Pale/Slim  
Height: 5'5''

Name: Alessia 'Al' 'Ally' Ames ('honest' 'friend')  
Age: 15  
Crest: Sincerity  
Digimon Partner: Palmon  
Hair: Dirty blonde, wavy, down to her waist and left loose  
Eye Color: Green  
Skin Tone/Build: Slightly sun-tanned/Curved  
Height: 5'5''

Name: Faye Donna-Marie ('confidence/trust/belief' 'lady')  
Age: 18  
Crest: Reliability  
Digimon Partner: Gomamon  
Hair: Dyed bright greens, blues, reds and oranges, straight and shaggy to her chin  
Eye Color: Grey  
Skin Tone/Build: Slightly dark/Curved  
Height: 5'10'

Name: Raquel 'Rocky' 'RJ' Mercina ('innocent' 'compassion/forbearance')  
Age: 12  
Crest: Hope  
Digimon Partner: Patamon  
Hair: Darker blonde, curly, down to her shoulders and left loose  
Eye Color: Light blue  
Skin Tone/Build: Slightly pale/Petite  
Height: 5'1''


	2. Prologue

There was a feeling of apprehension in the air, like the coming of a storm or the long wait during a pregnancy.

Jack, familiar with the electric tension, found himself getting rather jumpy.

Most likely feeling the same, Tooth zipped around in the air nervously, waiting for something but not being quite sure what.

Bunny's ears were permanently erect, like when he suspected the winter spirit to prank him, and even Sandy was alert, not falling asleep once.

Only North seemed untroubled, though impatient, as they all stared at the Globe.

The Man in the Moon had given them a sign that something big was coming, but he had never been much of a talker.

Still, Manny had never been wrong before, and so the Guardians waited, wondering what it was exactly they were waiting for.

Was Pitch coming back?

Was it something worse?

Or was this a good thing?

Was another spirit being born?

All of their questions were halted when a bright veil of light manifested over the Globe.

The light seemed to wink at them, shifting colors in a sign of some sort.

Orange, blue, red, purple, green, grey, yellow, pink and back again in an endless loop that was almost hypnotizing.

None of the Guardians could find words to describe what happened next.

The colors flashed one last time, separating from the veil to zip around the large room like fireflies, before plunging back in with a blinding flash.

Blinking the stars from her eyes, Tooth gasped.

Twinkling innocently were seven transformed lights.

It was Jack who broke the silence.

"_Okay_…Does anyone have _any_ idea what just happened?"


	3. Chapter 1

The sky was a clear, chilly blue overhead, still holding the last vestiges of winter as spring tried to get a foothold on the ground.

A brisk wind raced through the streets of Orias, a rather sizable county in northern Illinois, almost laughing at the grumbling adults it passed.

While quite a bit of the land was made up of residential suburbs, there was a bit of a big city air further inside, with tall buildings and assorted businesses pressed together for maximum space.

Children congregated around the toy store and ice cream parlor in the early afternoons, and teenagers lounged at the local pizzeria and arcade in the evenings, trying to entertain themselves.

With the weekend in full swing, all of these places were filled to bursting with noise and chatter, staff rushing to fill orders or keep the hubbub to a minimum.

A park sits across the street, slightly frosted but slowly being freed from the snow.

Sprawled on the damp grass, Casey breathed in the cold air like a starving man might inhale food.

_Pretty good comparison, though_.

Red hair darkened with moisture, she twisted her head to watch Faye tumble by, laughing as she rolled head-over-heels.

Grey eyes bright with childish glee, the multi-colored teenager collapsed in a fit of giggles with Ally, whose own green eyes were wide with wonder and amusement.

"How'd you do that?" The blonde wondered, eager to play.

"Easy." Casey interjected, grinning. "All you have to do is go absolutely bonkers and let gravity do the rest!"

Faye only smiled in agreement, tie-dyed hair bobbing as she nodded.

"Yup! Trust me, it's fun!"

"Don't you dare!" Ma voiced, dark eyes narrowed in a scolding glare. "We don't need another Faye running around here!"

"_Aw_…" Casey and Faye whined in unison, teasing the brunette. "Why not?"

"If you reevaluate the last ten seconds or so," Kim stated monotonously, dark blue eyes flicking up only momentarily from her sketchpad, "You would know the answer to that."

The two girls paused to do just that, and at least Casey had the decency to look sheepish.

"Oh, right…"

Ally pouted, a bit disheartened, and Ma left the tree's shade to put an arm around the younger teen's shoulders.

"Why would you want to be like Faye, anyway? You're plenty fun just being Ally. Right, Rocky?"

Said preteen looked up from watching her elder sister draw, big blue eyes blinking in confusion before she nodded happily, her mass of blonde curls bouncing along her shoulders as she smiled.

"No one tells stories like you do, Ally!"

The older blonde smiled in return, fiddling with the ends of her darker hair almost shyly.

"Really?"

"Would we lie to you?" Ma retorted kindly.

"Yes."

"Shut up, Kim."

Shrugging, said teenager returned to her work, completely unaffected.

Rolling onto her stomach, Casey watched her friends with a smile before noticing one perpetually-silent member of the group was still not involved.

"Hey, Bee. What're you working on?"

Said brunette jumped at suddenly being addressed, purple eyes wide as she looked up from her laptop.

"H-Huh?"

"Yeah, what are you looking at?" Faye agreed, looking very much like a puppy as she shuffled over to see the screen.

"J-Just some weather reports…" Bee answered softly, gaze flickering around nervously for a moment before returning to her research. "Th-There's been some w-weird fluctuations lately…"

At that moment, as if by fate, the world went unnaturally dark.

"…Like that?" Ma voiced unnecessarily.

The sky, once clear and blue, was now dark grey with clouds that had not been anywhere in sight only a minute ago.

"A bad sign." Kim stated, closing her sketchbook with a snap.

"What's going on?" Rocky wondered, pressing into her sister's side for comfort.

"A freak storm?" Casey suggested uneasily.

"Do those happen a lot?" Ally questioned, eyes locked on the roiling sky.

"N-Not really…" Bee admitted. "I-It's more likely than s-seeing an Aurora, b-but…"

Everyone fell silent as colors weaved through the clouds, flashing brightly against the dark in ribbons.

"…Who else wants to get a lotto ticket?"

Six pairs of eyes turned to Faye, mostly in glares, and the teenager shrugged.

"What? I'm feeling lucky!"

Before anyone could find any words to say to that-_as if there were any_-a sound like thunder split the sky in a black tunnel, the inside swirling like stars being sucked down a drain.

"…Still feeling lucky?" Casey wondered sarcastically.

"…Not so much now, no."

Slowly, the group stood, as if faced with a wild predator instead of some strange phenomenon of nature.

"What is it?" Ally questioned, peering up at the silent vortex with cautious curiosity.

"I-I don't know…" Bee confessed, curling into herself out of anxiety. "A bl-black hole would h-have sucked up the pl-planet before getting s-so close, and a r-rip in the space/time c-continuum would be causing i-irreversible damage…"

"So it's…good?" Rocky piped up, clinging to Kim's arm for support.

"W-Well…"

"What're those?" Ma voiced, drawing everyone's attention to the seven spinning dots at the end of the tunnel, each bright white and shining a different color.

Orange, blue, red, purple, green, silver, yellow…

The sight was hypnotizing.

Up until they realized said dots were heading straight for them, anyway.

"_Get down_!"

Moments later, the little meteors struck earth.

Dirt, grass and snow sprayed upon impact, clogging the air and making it difficult to breathe for a few heart-pounding seconds.

Shaking debris from her hair, Kim sat up, quickly looking her younger sibling over for injuries.

Casey groaned as she shoved herself upright, blinking snow from her lashes before turning towards her friends in concern.

"Everybody alright?"

"Yeah…" Ma replied, brushing some cold dirt off her shoulders as she helped Ally and Faye find their balance. "Yeah, I think we're alright…"

Rocky rubbed dust from her eyes, coughing weakly, before noticing Bee standing a few feet away, purple eyes wide in wonder.

"O-Oh…"

This drew everyone's attention to the seven perfect little circles in the ground, a soft glow coming from within.

Driven forward by insatiable curiosity, Bee shuffled over the one nearest her, taking in the purple light pulsing from within.

_Was something inside?_

The hole was as wide as her palm, so maybe…

That was when all the lights brightened, and what looked like soap bubbles floated up before each of the bewildered girls.

Casey, always one to do before thinking, grabbed the orange bubble out of thin air, feeling a weight in her palm as it popped.

When no harm befell her after a few moments, the others followed her lead, and each found a strange device had been hidden within.

Flat and white, it was only big enough to be concealed in a fist, with a blank screen and two buttons taking up the face.

Turning it over in her hands, Kim's eyes narrowed minutely.

_What was it?_

"Any idea what these things are?" Ma wondered, holding the device close instinctively.

"Nope." Faye replied, tossing hers from one hand to the other like one would a baseball. "But they're so cool!"

"Look!"

Rocky's shout had the group looking up, and they found the vortex had not closed even after releasing it's cargo.

_Or so they thought_.

"Great, what else is going to try and kill us?" Casey grumbled, frowning.

"Maybe this will be a nicer present." Ally suggested, optimistic.

"Or worse." Kim noted darkly.

Ma only had the time to glare, riling herself up for a good lecture-

When beams of light shot from the sky, hitting the dirt and upturned grass in a soundless burst of harmless colors.

It was like lightning, a jolt of electricity through the veins and a vague sense of another heartbeat…

And Casey found herself staring into a set of big red eyes.

"Hi, I'm Koromon! I'm your new partner!"

…

Looking up at the suddenly-absolutely-normal sky, the redhead scowled.

"You couldn't make this easy, could you?"


	4. Chapter 2

"Oh, what do we do, what do we do? Those poor children, do you think they're alright? What if they got hurt? We have to help them!"

Tooth was in the midst of a full-blown panic attack, zipping to and fro with anxious energy.

"If light was bad, why only effect a few children?" North wondered, studying the now-colorful lights.

"Not like it stopped them from believing." Bunny agreed. "Still shining, if a bit different."

"What does that mean, anyway?" Jack piped up, balanced precariously on the crook of his staff next to Sandy. "Did it…change them?"

Silence fell as the Guardians digested this new idea.

_Was it possible…?_

Sandy waved his arms to catch everyone's attention, an array of symbols appearing over his head.

"You are right, old friend!" North boomed, grinning. "Will never find out if mortal or not by sitting! Everyone, to the sleigh!"

Bunny only had a few precious seconds to grumble before being pulled along, but they were worth it.

* * *

Casey felt the mother of all headaches coming on, and for once, math was not to blame.

"Whoa…" Bee whispered, eyes wide with awe as her mind raced with the implications.

"So, you're our Digimon now." Kim reiterated, eying Tsunomon skeptically. "And whatever transferred you from your world to ours Bonded you to us."

"Yep." Bukamon answered happily, hovering in circles over Faye's head so the teenager giggled and tried to catch him.

"But…why us?" Ma wondered, concern tinting her expression.

"We don't really know." Yokomon admitted softly.

"All we know is that you're special!" Tokomon added, earning a giggle from Rocky for his enthusiasm.

"But what if someone finds them?" Ally worried, hugging Tanemon close. "And they think they're aliens, and the police take them away, and the government gets them, and they end up in Area 51 with the aliens, and they get experimented on, and-"

"Ally. _Chill_."

The blonde obediently began to take deep, calming breaths, and Casey let out a relieved sigh.

Looking over her friend's nervous faces, she straightened up, and Koromon could almost feel the determination that steeled her.

"What's with you guys? Nothing's ever stopped us before! We'll figure this out, and we'll deal with it, like we always do."

Her words emboldened the others, and they no longer seemed unsure or hesitant.

All of the Digimon could feel the surge of confidence like a wave rushing up the shore.

Then seven little stomachs growled angrily, demanding sustenance.

Laughing, Faye caught little Bukamon in her arms, grinning.

"Lunchtime!"

"How about a picnic?" Ma suggested, the worry lines around her mouth disappearing as she smiled.

"That sounds wonderful!" Ally agreed, beaming. "What do you think, Tanemon?"

"If there's food, I'm there!" The little green Digimon assured, already excited.

Everyone seemed rather taken with the idea as well, and a roguish grin took shape on Casey's face.

"Why don't me, Kim, Rocky and Ma head to my house to make sandwiches?"

"I'll get the strawberries!" Faye voiced, practically vibrating with energy as she squeezed Bukamon in joy.

"I-I have some ch-chocolates at home…" Bee offered, watching how Motimon's fingers intertwined with hers.

"And I've got a blanket we can sit on!" Ally chirped.

"Then it's settled! We'll meet back up here in an hour, kay?"

The six other girls nodded, and the group split in two, one headed for the nearer apartment buildings and the other for the slightly-farther suburban dwellings in the opposite direction.

Hugging Tokomon like one would a treasured teddy bear, Rocky started up a lively conversation with the Digimon on all the types of sandwiches they could make, distracting the hungry little stomachs from the long walk.

Sometimes she would look up to Kim for confirmation on a treat that might still be in the fridge or a sweet still sitting in a cupboard, and the teenager's entire face softened when she answered, the harsh edges smoothing over.

"What's cheese?" Koromon asked, looking up at Casey with big, curious red eyes.

"Pretty much aged milk, I guess."

"_Ew_, why would you age milk?" He replied, sticking out his tongue in disgust.

"You'll understand once you try my amazing ham and cheese sandwich!" Casey assured brightly, a skip in her step.

"You add pickles." Ma voiced, brown eyes warm in amusement.

"The pickles are what make it amazing!"

Kim rolled her eyes at the redhead's antics, a secret smile hidden in the corner of her mouth when Rocky giggled.

Tsunomon looked up and caught a hint of it, but a new sound caught his attention before he could draw attention to the rare sight.

Tokomon's ribbon-like ears twitched, and the flower on Yokomon's head perked up, the petals opening as if trying to absorb information like most plants take in sunlight.

Casey stopped, feeling a strange tension in Koromon's round little body.

"What is it?" Ma wondered, looking around with growing nervousness as Rocky pressed into her sister's side.

If they concentrated, the girls could almost make out some sort of…_droning_ sound.

"Bees?" Kim suggested, outwardly unaffected. "It is starting to get warm, so they should be getting active."

The noise grew in volume, now an almost violent buzzing, and Casey felt the hairs on her arms stand on-end as a sense of dread took root in her gut.

"I don't think it's bees…"

At that exact moment, with a horrible grating screech, a massive red beetle landed in front of them, concrete and asphalt cracking under it's armored feet as scissor-like jaws opened to let out a roar.

"It's Kuwagamon!" Tsunomon shouted, and the 'run for your life' part seemed like more than just an implication.

So, taking that into account, the three teenaged girls came up with a plan…

They about-faced and _ran like Hell_.

* * *

For the life of him, Bunny could _not_ figure out how he had gotten stuck with Jack for a search partner.

Grumbling complaints under his breath as said winter spirit snickered, the Pooka checked the tracker North had thrust into his paws roughly ten minutes ago.

As the Guardians had gotten closer to the little town, the group of children had apparently decided to split up and head in different directions.

Bunny and Jack were following the larger half, but…

_Why had they stopped moving?_

The two spirits shared a glance, and Frost's expression finally turned serious.

_Something was wrong_.

A roar, as if from some great beast, shook the buildings and parked cars like they were no more than children's toys.

"This way!" Bunny shouted, racing towards the source despite every instinct in him _screaming_ to go the other way.

_He had to save those kids_.

Jack did not hesitate a moment, flying after the fleet-footed Guardian of Hope on the strongest gust Wind could conjure.

Whatever that was, it did _not_ sound friendly.

_Or like a herbivore, for that matter_.

Bunny rounded the corner at breakneck speed-

And crashed into another figure, sending both tumbling to the ground in a heap.

Quite a few choice words flew through the Pooka's mind as his back started to ache, and he was ready to voice most of them when he was met with a pair of bright gold eyes upon opening his own.

Every word fled his mind, except one.

"Crikey…"


	5. Chapter 3

Shielding Koromon against her chest, Casey took a few deep breaths before she could relocate the ability to speak English while looking up at those-_really pretty_-green eyes.

"Please tell me you're friendly and not going to eat me."

The large rabbit could not help but be confused by the seemingly-random statement.

"Why would I eat ya, sheila?"

The ground quaked violently underneath them, and Kuwagamon's shriek came from down the street.

"You see, I've been having a problem with that today…"

Jack would have ribbed his fellow Guardian, both on the compromising position and the sarcasm, but there were more urgent things that needed to be taken care of.

_Mostly the man-eating bug_.

A blast of ice from his staff distracted Kuwagamon from closing it's jaws on the black-haired girl's head, and both Tsunomon and Tokomon took the opening.

"Bubble Blow!"

The little pink bubbles smacked into the hard carapace with little effect, but Kuwagamon still reared back, startled by the sudden offensive maneuvers.

Kim pulled her younger sister back protectively, one arm darting out to snatch the two Digimon partners as they fell, while Ma quickly caught her breath, fear making her heart race more than the impromptu run.

"Casey?"

"I'm okay!" The redhead assured as she sat up, Bunny standing with boomerangs in hand next to her. "You good, Koromon?"

"Yup!"

Kuwagamon faced it's new foes with what looked like a snarl, and roared loud enough to shatter some of the nearby windows.

Without a flinch, the Pooka threw one of his egg bombs into the open maw, smirking as it exploded between the jagged teeth.

Stumbling back, Kuwagamon coughed and shrieked, head bowing under another blast of cold.

As it crashed to the ground, seemingly defeated, Jack grinned.

"Ha! That's what you get for messing with the Guardians, you overgrown-"

Said Digimon rose like lava from an erupting volcano, and everyone flinched at the hail of debris that fell over them.

"I hope that's not the best you two have." Kim voiced, tone neutral.

At the somewhat sheepish expressions that crossed the pair's face, she sighed.

"Apparently so."

"Anyone else up for another wild sprint through the streets?" Ma suggested, eyeing Kuwagamon as he scraped the colored ice off his heavily-armored head.

"I can _totally_ do that." Casey agreed, a slightly shaky laugh in her words.

"No!"

The redhead could only look down at a determined Koromon in confusion.

"What?"

"I'm done running!"

"_You're not even the one running_!"

Before the two could start an argument, or Kuwagamon could fully free himself, a scream caught everyone's attention like a bolt of lightning.

The girls froze as they recognized the voice.

_Ally!_

The spirits were rather startled by the sudden shift in mood among the older girls.

No longer panicked and frazzled, or completely blank, their expressions hardened into something determined and protective before they took off after the scream.

For a moment, Bunny wondered if they should go after them-

Then Kuwagamon shrieked, finally free, and he figured there was no reason to stick around.

Jack apparently agreed, since he refrained from making any jokes as they raced after the girls and their strange little pets, Kuwagamon hot on their heels.

* * *

"Bubble Blow!"

The serpent-like humanoid hissed as the acidic bubbles popped along his face, arms coming up to shield his scaled face as the long tail came around to smack the offenders away.

"Tanemon!" Ally shouted in worry, scooping the plant-like Digimon up as Bee cradled Motimon in her arms like one would a child, whispering softly to him.

The serpent-creature shook the fuzziness from his vision, baring long fangs in preparation to sink them into someone, when Faye jumped onto his heavily-muscled back.

Locking her arm around his neck in a choke-hold, the teenager grunted as her opponent thrashed, very nearly bucking her off.

Bukamon, seeing his partner in trouble, puffed up his body in indignant rage.

"Bubble Blow!"

Flinching as the pink bubbles got into his slit eyes, the snake reared up, but paused in his thrashing to try and rub the blurriness away.

Seeing this, the grey pterodactyl-like Digimon did not relent for a moment.

"Bubble Blow! Bubble Blow! _Bubble Blow_!"

Finally fed-up, he whipped his tail around to smack Bukamon to the ground, and Faye winced as if struck.

"Bukamon!"

The momentary distraction was all he needed, and the teenager was flung off with a snap.

Before she could hit the asphalt-_face first, mind you_-, something grabbed the back of her t-shirt and stopped her in midair.

Blinking at the ground two inches away from her face, Faye twisted her neck to look up-

And her jaw dropped.

"Santa?"

The large Russian could not help a laugh at the awed look on the teenager's face.

"Call me North!"

"You can be whoever you wanna be, big guy…"

Greatly amused by this multi-colored teenager, North set her down gently and faced the upset serpent-man with both sabers drawn.

"Are you okay?" Tooth fussed, helping a bewildered Bee to her feet.

Overwhelmed by the attention, the girl could only nod in reply, curling over Motimon and into herself self-consciously.

Staggering to her feet, Ally flinched at a foreign touch, whipping around at the soft tap on her shoulder.

Sandy floated back sharply at the sudden movement, but smiled apologetically for frazzling her nerves even worse.

Blinking once or twice in surprise, the blonde felt guilty at having been so jumpy.

"Sorry! I didn't know-I mean-I just-"

Tripping and stumbling over the words that tried to escape her mouth, she flushed bright red at the new feeling of not knowing what to say.

More at ease, Sandy motioned for the girl to calm down, the smile on his face assuring her that it was fine.

A stream of Russian curses caught their attention then, and both turned to see North hacking ineffectively at the thick, scaly tail winding around his body like a boa constrictor.

"North!" Tooth shouted, zipping in to slice the strange humanoid creature with her fast-beating wings.

The attack deflected off the armor-like scales, and the fairy cried out as she was thrown off-course from the impact.

A whip made of golden dream-sand wrapped around the snake-man's neck, stopping him from taking a bite out of North, but not doing much beyond that.

The three teenagers backed away from the fight, holding their Digimon close, and Bee worried that there was no way to keep the serpent from it's goal.

_And it's goal was apparently to eat them alive_.

"GUYS!"

Casey's shout was followed quickly by a roar, which shattered the momentary relief they had felt at their friends' arrival.

The two groups converged, caught between the hissing serpent humanoid and Kuwagamon, and the girls found themselves in the center of a protective circle.

As their enemies prowled around, looking for an opening, Faye looked up at the very large beetle, completely silent, before turning to Casey with a seriously hopeful look.

"Can we keep him?"

…

SMACK!

The others ignored the-_rather typical_-exchange, much more focused on the two creatures trying to eat them.

_The two creatures that had obviously planned this whole thing_.

After all, they were far too coordinated to be coincidental allies.

Kim suspected that they had been herded, like cattle to the slaughter, and that not even this unexpected intervention would be able to save them.

This was the end of the line.

But it seemed their Digimon were not willing to accept that.

Even Bee squeaked when Motimon leapt from her arms, purple eyes widening in a spike of terror as the little Digimon charged.

All of their hearts dropped like stones, shouts tearing into the air.

"Yokomon, _no_!"

"M-Motimon!"

"Tsunomon!"

"No, Tokomon! _Don't_!"

"Dude, get back here! _Bukamon_!"

"_Tanemon_!"

"Damn it! _KOROMON_!"

It was as if the entire world slowed down, and then light burst from the seven little bodies like they were exploding stars.

"Koromon, Digivolve to…**Agumon**!"

"Yokomon, Digivolve to…**Biyomon**!"

"Motimon, Digivolve to…**Tentomon**!"

"Tsunomon, Digivolve to…**Gabumon**!"

"Tokomon, Digivolve to…**Patamon**!"

"Bukamon, Digivolve to…**Gomamon**!"

"Tanemon, Digivolve to…**Palmon**!"

And just like that, the tide of battle suddenly shifted.

"Pepper Breath!"

Kuwagamon shrieked as the ball of fire struck his armored head, reeling back.

"Blue Blaster!"

"Spiral Twister!"

"Boom Bubble!"

As the massive beetle stumbled back under the assault, the other three Digimon converged on his smaller assistant.

"Poison Ivy!"

The snake-man hissed as the whip-like vines wrapped around his arms and neck, securely holding him in place.

"Super Shocker!"

Gomamon slid under the thrashing coils of their opponent's tail, digging his little teeth between the scales.

Noticing this, Tentomon flew around in a circle, not giving the serpent a chance to retaliate.

"Super Shocker! Super Shocker!"

With one last effort, the Digimon finished it.

"Pepper Breath!"

"Blue Blaster!"

"Spiral Twister!"

"Boom Bubble!"

Kuwagamon shrieked as he burst into flame.

"_Super Shocker_!"

The serpent humanoid let out a grating hiss as it's muscles contracted from the overload of electricity.

Then, as if their bodies could no longer take the strain, the duo disintegrated, the grains floating up into the sky and disappearing like smoke.

…

The Guardians turned to the equally-confused teenagers with incredulous looks.

It was Casey who voiced all of their thoughts.

"We didn't know they could do that."


	6. Chapter 4

There was a moment of shock for the Guardians as they realized that _these teenagers actually believed in them_.

Besides the strange monsters and the light that had brought them here, _that_ was what really struck them.

With children losing their belief earlier and earlier, usually because of their own jaded peers or frustrated parents, it was like a miracle.

Patamon perched safely on her head, ear-wings perked in interest, Rocky looked up at them with wide blue eyes.

"Santa?"

The large Russian could only smile, nodding in response as a laugh bubbled up from his belly.

_They still believed_.

"Oh my God oh my God _oh my God_-"

Ally was practically hyperventilating as the implications sunk in, green eyes sparkling in mounting joy and Palmon hanging from her waist in a hug.

Utterly flabbergasted, Bee's mind raced as Tentomon landed beside her, piecing together what she knew while her eyes flicked between all five of them.

They were all a bit overwhelmed, because, honestly, _when did you get to meet the very icons of childhood face to face_?

"We have much to discuss." North admitted, still smiling.

Casey wrestled back control of her tongue with great difficulty, looking down at Agumon and then back up again, before sharing a glance with Kim.

"…Got a place in mind?"

* * *

Portals, especially those opened by Snow Globe, can be rather rough if the traveler is unprepared for the high speeds and quick exit.

So, when North shoved the large group through one straight to Santoff Claussen, it really should not have been a surprise when they ended up in a heap on the other side.

With a few aborted cusses, groans and complaints, the older teenagers untangled themselves from the pile, helping up the younger girls once they were free.

Bee, for one, was completely floored by the wondrous sight of Santa's Workshop, filled with wild toys and joyous racket and bright colors like Christmas.

North waved off the curious yeti that came to see the newcomers, and scolded some elves for getting underfoot again, before gathering everyone's attention.

"This way! Yeti will bring hot chocolate, but first, you have much explaining to do." The Russian voiced, herding the large congregation towards one of the larger sitting rooms for some privacy.

"We really don't know much." Ma admitted, petting down the bright pink feathers on Biyomon's head as the bird Digimon snuggled up to her hip like a cat.

"Even _we_ don't know everything." Patamon agreed from his perch as Rocky giggled, watching what looked a hybrid between a train and a rocket as it roared overhead.

"Just tell us what you know, okay?" Tooth assured, flitting around as the girls sat down on the assorted couches and chairs. "No pressure!"

"Yeah, not feeling any pressure…" Casey joked sarcastically, pulling Agumon onto her lap as she sat down on the nearest couch.

Once everyone was settled down-_besides Tooth, who could never hold still at all while directing her mini-fairies_-, the seven shared a look, trying to figure out where to start.

"We were hanging out at the park when it happened." Kim stated, giving her more vocal friends a starting point.

"Yeah, and then the sky opened up and _BAM_, these cool things flew out of the sky!" Faye relayed, wildly animated as always, Gomamon struggling to keep his spot on top of her head.

"And then there was this light, and I thought it would hurt, but it didn't, and that's how we got our Digimon-they say it's short for Digital Monster, but they like Digimon better-and they said we were chosen to do something, but they don't know what, and now we're Bonded!" Ally finished, not stopping once to catch her breath while hugging Palmon close.

The Guardians were silent, trying to comprehend the rapid speech, and Ma sighed, shaking her head.

"I think we can do better than that." She voiced with a slight undertone of motherly scolding.

Both Faye and Ally smiled sheepishly in apology, the former miming the act of zipping her mouth shut.

"_Now_ you see why we don't let them do presentations together." Casey told the spirits, greatly amused. "We should start with introductions before jumping into the good stuff."

Straightening up, she gave a warm smile, open and honest.

"I'm Casey, miss grumpy-pants over there is Kim, with her little sister, Rocky."

Said teenager turned from her sister, sandwiched between her and Gabumon as if for safety, to glare reproachfully.

"And that's Prema, but we call her Ma."

The brunette smiled, Biyomon cuddling up under her chin.

"And you're already acquainted with Faye."

She waved enthusiastically in greeting, Gomamon laughing at her antics.

"The blonde over there that's likely to talk your ears off is Ally, and the really quiet one in the corner is Bee."

Ducking down, as if trying to hide behind Tentomon, the brunette squeaked a greeting.

"Now is our turn!" North boomed, purposely drawing the attention away from the clearly-shy teenager. "You may know me as Santa Claus, but my real name is North!"

"And I'm Toothiana!" Tooth introduced herself, smiling as she buzzed closer. "But everyone calls me Tooth!"

Sandy threw up a few symbols in an advanced game of charades, but when none of the girls seemed to get it, Jack cut in to help the little guy out.

"This is Sandman, but we call him Sandy. And I'm Jack Frost."

"E. Aster Bunnymund." The Pooka let out hesitantly, trying to distract himself from those big gold eyes that were still making it difficult to speak.

"What was all that, anyway? About being Bonded and the light show and everything?" Jack wondered, leaning on his staff.

"Definitely wasn't expecting it." Casey admitted. "Nearly had a damn heart attack…"

"U-Um…"

Bee shrunk under their gazes, so Tentomon spoke up instead.

"We were brought here to Bond with the Chosen Children to save both Earth and the Digital World."

"Kuwagamon and the snake-guy were Bonded, too." Gomamon added helpfully. "Most Digimon are Bonded. It's how we get enough strength to Digivolve."

"Digivolve…You mean, like evolve?" Ma voiced.

"Exactly." Biyomon agreed, smiling. "It's when we go up a level in power. We were only In-Training before, but now we're at the Rookie level!"

"Hold up." Bunny cut in, confused. "What's this 'bout Chosen Children and saving worlds?"

The reminder perked all of the Guardians' interest.

"That's us!" Faye stated matter-of-factly.

"Haven't exactly had time to figure out how we're going to do it…" Casey piped up sheepishly.

Sandy frowned, looking over the assembled group with concern.

They may not be children, but they were painfully young to be saving worlds.

Would they be facing threats like Kuwagamon and his partner again?

Would the threats be greater?

The Guardians were useless in this fight, considering that their magic and weapons could do little more than delay the inevitable.

Worry was clear on Tooth's face.

_Could they do it?_

But then Casey straightened, steeling her spine, and there was a fire in her eyes that had not quite been there before.

"But we _will_ figure this out."

It was said with such conviction that there was no doubt she believed in this wholeheartedly, and the words sparked a fire in all the others.

Even Kim, who had seemed to be ignoring the proceedings, looked up with a determined edge to her blank expression, like a concealed blade.

At that moment, the Guardians could almost believe it, too.

* * *

Standing in the Globe Room, the five spirits tried to figure out what to do.

"We can't just let 'em run off and get killed!" Bunny insisted, ears laying flat in agitation.

"They're still kids at heart." Jack agreed, for once. "And believers. It's our job to protect them, right?"

Tooth nodded in agreement, sad.

"Yes, but how do we protect them? If it's their job to fight things like Kuwagamon and his partner…"

"All we can do is give guidance." North stated, taking cues from Sandy. "They are strong, but do not know strength. Is the way of children, yes? We protect by giving safe places to stay, and guiding."

Nods of agreement were given in reply, and Sandy floated back to the sitting room where they had left the girls.

Jack and Bunny were right on his sand-trail, strangely eager, as the door opened and the sight inside revealed.

_All of them were fast asleep_.

Apparently, the day had caught up with the mortals, and they had crashed not too long ago.

Casey was laid out on her end of the couch, Agumon face-down and snoring rather loudly against her neck, while Ma was curled up with her back against said furniture, Biyomon cuddled up to her like a feathery blanket.

Kim was sitting, slightly slouched, on the other end, Rocky snuggled into her side with Patamon tucked under her arm and Gabumon lying on her for added warmth.

Ally was in one of the armchairs, legs thrown over the arm and an arm wrapped around Palmon to keep the sleeping Digimon from rolling off.

Bee was in another armchair closer to the fireplace, Tentomon pressed against her back, and Faye was sprawled on the wood floor below, snoring like North's chainsaw with Gomamon lying on her face like a rather annoying cat might.

Jack, once again, _desperately_ wished for a camera.


	7. Chapter 5

The next morning came too soon, at least in the girls' opinion.

Casey stretched, back popping back into alignment as Agumon leaned into her hip tiredly.

Rocky yawned widely in unison with Patamon, letting out a tired giggle when Jack bopped her nose with the end of his crook.

Not far behind them was Kim, who, while apparently unaffected by the early hour or their antics, could not quite hide the glances she sent towards her sister and the winter spirit every now and then.

Faye was energetic as always, Gomamon laughing from his perch on her shoulder as she bounced into the massive dining room with an enthusiastic greeting.

Ma only rolled her eyes at this behavior, holding a sleepy Biyomon to her chest like a small child, though Tooth fluttered in beside her with a giggle.

Bee shuffled in quietly, holding Tentomon's claw-hand as she rubbed her eyes, and North followed, laughing as the multi-colored teenager threw an arm around a disgruntled Kim.

The last to enter were Ally and Sandy, the former giggling as the dream-bringer told an elaborate story with his images.

As the large group sat around the massive circular table, the yeti rushing to serve them, a pattern formed.

Kim sat on Casey's left, Gabumon pulled onto her lap, and Rocky sat on her sister's other side with Jack, already munching on some waffles and laughing as the winter spirit made little animals out of magic for Patamon to play with between bites.

Ma was next, Biyomon picking at the assortment of fruits before them as Tooth chattered with her and her mini-fairies.

One of the little hummingbird-like creatures apparently took a liking to the brunette and her bird Digimon, perched on her shoulder and watching everything with unique bright pink eyes.

Ally was on the other side, telling a story of her own to Sandy and laughing with him like they were old friends, Palmon munching on maple syrup-coated strawberries in her lap.

Ignoring her own plate, Faye happily jumped onto one of the yeti with a shout of "KITTY!" and refused to let go.

Resigned to his fate, since North only laughed at the poor creature's predicament, the yeti went about his duties with a new tagalong clinging to him like a koala cub.

Bee, though still painfully shy and quiet, let out a giggle as the older girl went off on a tangent to the reluctantly-amused yeti that she had named 'Pookie' because "You're like that teddy Garfield has in the comics, and he's adorable, and you're adorable, so it works!"

Apparently glad that the smaller brunette was starting to relax, the large Russian started a rather one-sided conversation about new toy designs, heartened by the wonder in her eyes as she learned about a train that transformed into a rocket and a car that hovered just off the ground.

It seemed that everyone had made friends with someone, and that put Casey at ease.

Bunny sat on her right, doing his best to seem nonchalant while his nose twitched, taking in her scent as everyone dug in to the breakfast.

"Jack?" Rocky voiced, curious as Patamon settled down to eat an apple. "When can we go home?"

Every Guardian nearly flinched at the innocent question, since it seemed all of the girls were wondering the same thing.

Unfortunately for Jack, he was stuck answering at the moment.

"Well, it's not really safe right now, squirt…"

Oh, but he was melting under those big blue eyes like snow in springtime, and all the Guardians could tell.

"But maybe you could go back, just to pick up some stuff. How does that sound?"

Even though the thought made Rocky happy, it was a bit more worrisome for the older girls.

What if another Digimon attacked them?

Would someone get hurt?

Casey spoke up, hoping to ease the concerns and not dampen Rocky's mood again.

"We don't all have to go, if we're just picking up clothes and things." She offered, seeing the Guardians relax. "It would just take me, Kim and Ma to get everything."

"Should not go by yourselves." North warned.

"I'll go!" Tooth voiced excitedly, smiling sheepishly in embarrassment at the knowing looks some of her peers were sporting.

"Should be fun." Jack agreed, leaning back casually in his chair. "I'm in."

Just the thought of leaving the pretty redhead in the winter spirit's care had Bunny on-edge.

_If he had known the real reason Jack wanted to go, the Pooka would have had no reason to worry_.

"Can't let the drongo go and make a mess of it." The Pooka grumbled, trying not to seem eager.

"Good! It is settled!" North boomed, grinning. "Should make lists of things to get, so nothing is forgotten."

Sandy threw up a handful of symbols, almost too fast to decipher.

"He's right." Ally agreed, having apparently kept up. "What about our parents and grandparents? What are we going to tell them?"

Casey and Ma were silent a moment before turning to Kim expectantly.

Seeing this, she sighed.

"We decided to have a sleepover at Faye's home, since her cousin is out of town on business and she is lonely. It was such a spur of the moment decision that we did not go home to secure clothes or toiletries, since there are spares in her room from the time before. We are planning on staying for most of the week, to make sure she is alright, and so will need to bring computers, chargers, and other necessities. They can contact us by cell phone, but not during school hours or after, because of our extracurricular activities."

There was a beat of silence, and Jack could not help but be impressed by her flawless lie.

"It will give us at least a week." Kim calculated, pupils shifting as the variables were crunched down. "The school will contact our legal guardians after a few days for skipping, but if we are careful, no one will know we are gone until Faye's cousin comes home from his business trip on the weekend."

"They'll worry…" Ally voiced, guilty.

"It can not be helped." Kim replied, neutral.

A heavy silence fell over the girls; there was no denying that this was the only course of action they could take.

"What's with all the long faces?" Faye piped up, grinning widely from Pookie's shoulder. "We're in the North Pole! There's no time to be sad!"

Rocky laughed at the teenager's exuberance, and the tension cracked.

"Is right!" North agreed, glad that the gloom was gone. "Can have fun today, and worry about such things tomorrow!"

Not one person argued with him, and the Guardians were relieved.

_They did not want to think of the families, the mothers and fathers and grandparents, who would never understand why their children were gone_.

As everyone finished eating and began to splinter off, looking for distractions, no one wanted to admit how hard this was all going to be.

* * *

The image disappeared into black smoke, it's observer watching the tendrils dissipate into the shadows before turning towards his partner.

"They will become a problem soon."

"I agree." The larger form agreed, red eyes glowing in the dim candlelight. "If left alone, they will likely reach the next stage."

Large black bat's wings flared out, the rush of displaced air causing the candle's to flicker.

"Then we will just have to get rid of them first, won't we Devimon?"

The Digimon smirked in agreement.

"I can think of a better way."

Both looked towards a solid shadow in the cave, amber eyes visible and striking amidst the shadows.

"Would you like the honors?"

A smile full of sharp teeth and dark intentions, and Pitch chuckled as he went over the possibilities.

"It would be my pleasure."

* * *

Author's Note

I know I don't usually write these, but I wanted to clarify some things.

Yes, I'm caught in a bit of a dry spell with my writing. The words just don't want to come out! But I managed, after days of struggle, to get this snippet out in order to set up my plan for the next three chapters.

My plan is to have the next three chapters be of the same day, only from different viewpoints-Casey, Kim and Ma-and highlighting different relationships and histories. After that, each girl will get their own personal chapters as well, though there will likely be in-universe delays.

I can't guarantee that those chapters will come out soon, but know that I am trying as hard as I can to get them done.

Thank you so much for the understanding; I really appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Chibi


	8. Chapter 6

It had been centuries since Bunny had found a possible mate.

Casey had caught his attention the moment their eyes met, like sparks of sunshine in his chest, and now the Pooka could not get her out of his head.

Though every instinct in his body urged him to court her like a Pooka doe, Bunny resisted.

She was human, and even if she _did_ understand the signs, who was to say she would accept?

Seemingly oblivious to his internal struggle, Casey lay sprawled next to him on one of North's many sofas, a shape-shifting Rubik's Cube twisting in her hands and Agumon lying on her chest.

They were the only ones on this floor, since most of the others girls and their partners had run off to the more active sections of Santoff Claussen in search of entertainment.

The only relatively calm ones were Kim and Bee, both of whom had gone to find quiet corners to hide away in not long ago, leaving a very conflicted Pooka alone with the object of his affections.

_Just stay calm, Aster_, he urged himself. _There's nothing to get worked up over. She's just a girl. A really pretty girl, sitting right there, practically begging me to-_No_!_

Unbeknownst to him, Casey and Agumon had taken notice of his growing nervousness.

Sharing a look with her Digimon, who only shrugged in response, the redhead shifted positions purposely.

Bunny practically leapt out of his skin, staring down at the teenager sitting on his lap in bewilderment.

"What's got you so jumpy?" Casey wondered, bright gold eyes curious and slightly worried.

"I'm not jumpy." He defended, trying to stop his legs from vibrating out of nerves.

"_Sure_ you're not." She teased as Agumon snuggled up right to the Pooka's side with a happy little growl. "You just look ready to have a heart attack. Nothing jumpy about that."

Bunny huffed, but could not hold onto even the mildest of annoyance for long when her fingers reached up and scratched gently behind one of his ears.

_Oh_, but it felt good…

Unable to hold in a purr as all thought of self-restraint evaporated, the Pooka nuzzled her hair, taking in Casey's scent with a sigh.

_She smelled faintly like strawberries and fresh grass, warming him straight to his back paws_.

Going still at the unexpected affection, Casey relaxed into the soft fur with a hum.

When the teenager made no move to pull away, Bunny relaxed, snuffling at her cheek and earning a giggle from the ticklish feeling.

_Too bad Jack had to come and ruin the moment_.

A snowball struck Casey full in the face with such force she fell to the ground with a THUD, blinking in confusion as the winter spirit laughed at the dumbstruck look on her face.

Kim rolled her eyes at his antics, but there was the slightest of quirks in the corner of her mouth that showed amusement.

Then an elf struck Jack upside the head.

It was Bunny's turn to laugh at the flabbergasted expression on the boy's face, and the impromptu projectile stumbled to his feet with a dizzy twirl as Gabumon covered his mouth to stifle a wave of giggles.

Casey smirked, clearly pleased with herself, and tossed an elf in her hand like one would a baseball.

Returning the look with a challenging one of his own, Jack created another snowball in his hand.

"Now you're asking for it, red."

"Bring it on, Frosty."

_And then all hell broke loose_.

* * *

Ma certainly earned her nickname after lecturing the pair so thoroughly that even Jack looked properly chastised, and sent him to clean up the mess of dazed elves and melting snow so she could fuss over a drenched Casey properly.

Despite the redhead's assurances of _I'm fine_ and _Yes, I'm sure_ and _Why don't you ever believe me when I say I'm fine?_, she was shoved in front of the nearest fireplace with her heater of a Digimon to warm up.

Wrapped up in the thickest blanket Ma could find, Casey only grumbled half-heartedly as she was forcibly left to her own devices.

Bunny found the entire thing rather amusing.

_Except for the part where he was expressly forbidden to bother her, but you can't have everything_.

Sitting just outside the closed door, ears trained on the thick wood, the Pooka nearly jumped as a ringtone pierced through.

"Hello?"

If he listened closely, Bunny could almost make out a voice, though words refused to be deciphered thanks to the phone's static and Santoff Claussen's inherent soundproofing.

The voice was soft and clearly feminine, without the slightly lower register Casey possessed or the higher one held by Ally, and Bunny found it rather soothing.

"Yeah, I've kinda got roped into a sleepover at Faye's." Casey responded after a few moments, sounding sheepish. "You know how she gets when Pat goes away for business. _I swear, there's a ghost haunting the toilet! I need you to kill it!_"

Peeking in to spy on this little moment, Bunny saw the soft smile that bloomed on her face as a weak little laugh escaped her phone.

"I'll stop by tomorrow to pick up some stuff, okay? Leave her a note and everything, I swear."

A few more muffled words, and she laughed, smile growing.

"I promise, I'll be careful."

Her expression shifted slightly, leaning towards concern.

"Have you been resting? Taking your medicine?"

A soft reply, and her shoulder relaxed minutely, one hand coming up to rub Agumon's head in reassurance.

"That's my baby bunny." Casey cooed, relieved.

That she used bunny instead of the more common terms of endearment-_puppy, kitten, even snowflake or angel_-warmed the Pooka's heart like little else did.

Shifting slightly, most likely to make Agumon more comfortable on her lap, the redhead chuckled.

"Alright, alright. I'll sing it, but you've gotta go back to bed right after, okay?"

What must have been an affirmative followed, along with some rustling, before Casey leaned her cheek against Agumon's head with a sigh.

"Honestly, I don't know why you like this lullaby so much…I got it from a TV show, you know."

After a moment, she let out another chuckle.

"Just because I changed one word for you doesn't mean it's mine!"

Shaking her head at whatever explanation was given, the redhead smiled as Agumon growled pleasantly.

"Yeah, yeah…Are you in bed yet?"

A moment of silence, and then…

"_Soft bunny, warm bunny, little ball of fur_…" She sang, voice low and pleasant in his ears. "_Happy bunny, sleepy bunny, purr, purr, purr_."

As Casey softly said her goodbyes, like a mother might tuck in their child for the night, the Pooka sat back on his haunches with the image frozen in his mind's eye.

Dark red curls aflame with firelight, gold eyes molten with affection, expression softened with laughter…

_Bunny could admit to himself that she was beautiful like that_.

* * *

Though they had only been Bonded for a short time, Agumon felt like he had known Casey his entire existence.

He could not even imagine his life without her smiles and jokes and warmth, like a pulse of gentle fire through their Bond.

How had he survived so long all alone, without someone to understand him?

_How had Casey?_

Growling in pleasure at a distracted scratch under his chin, the Digimon looked up at his partner.

Bedtime had been a couple of hours ago, with all of the girls and their Digimon being herded into guest rooms so the Guardians could have a meeting, and she had not been able to settle for more than a few minutes at a time.

_Was something wrong?_

Her gaze never stayed in one place for long, scanning the shadowy corners as if expecting an attack, though he could sense her exhaustion and knew she needed to rest.

Hoping to soothe her nerves, Agumon wriggled out of the blankets and flopped onto Casey's chest, smiling up at her comfortingly.

Blinking at him in confusion, the red-haired girl eventually relaxed, a smile growing as she placed a hand on his head to pet in tired gratitude.

Within minutes, Casey is fast asleep, sprawled on the bed without a care in the world.

Agumon smiles as he follows her in.

* * *

No matter where you go, there is one truth; where there is light, there is darkness.

Pitch Black knows this, and used it to his advantage.

Sliding out of the deep shadows, the dark spirit glided across the hardwood floor, careful not to be caught in the moonlight as he approached the bed.

Casey was sprawled on top of the comforter like a sunning cat, Digimon flopped over her stomach in a snoring mess, both completely ignorant to how vulnerable they were.

_Oh, it had been too long_…

Looming over the girl, he reached forward, nightmare-sand swirling around his fingers-

With a jolt, Casey awoke, fists flying in a blur of motion as she sat up, blinded by sleep and panic.

Heart hammering against her ribs, she scanned the room for a threat, slowly calming as nothing made itself known.

"Casey?" Agumon murmured, sitting up from where her wild flailing had thrown him.

"…It was nothing." The redhead assured, rubbing at her eyes.

_Get a hold of yourself!_ She thought fiercely. _It was probably just a weird noise. Nothing to panic over_.

But Casey no longer felt safe here, and there was no way to convince herself otherwise.

So, with a resigned sigh, the golden-eyed teen gathered Agumon to her side and stood, carrying the Digimon with one arm like one might a toddler.

Yawning wide enough to crack her jaw, Casey rubbed the exhaustion from her eyes as she shuffled towards the door, intent on finding a room to share for the night.

Once in the dim hallway, with only the faint sounds of working in the distance, the teenager realized she had no idea where anyone else was.

_I really ought to think these things through more_, Casey grumbled internally.

As if reading her thoughts, Agumon lifted his head to scent the air for a moment.

"That one." He mumbled sleepily, pointing a three-clawed hand to a room two doors down.

"Thanks, buddy."

With her adrenaline wearing off and sleep crawling back in, Casey stumbled to the designated door and opened it as quietly as possible.

She took three steps in before realizing who the occupant was, and her first impulse was to shake Agumon violently.

_Why was she in Bunny's room?!_

Still, it was better than Kim…

With that thought in mind, Casey approached the bed and poked the large Pooka's shoulder.

"Bunny?"

One of his long ears twitched, but when he did not wake up, she decided to up the ante.

"Jack's freezing the eggs!"

Bunny jackknifed out of bed, only just awake and clearly upset.

"GET 'WAY FROM MY GOOGIES, FROST!"

Sleep must have slowed his brain, because it still took a few moments for the large rabbit to remember he was still in Santoff Claussen.

Blinking the cotton from his eyes, he turned slightly to see a small redheaded teenager staring up at him with the most innocent expression she could muster.

"Hi."

With the resigned acceptance of any parent woken in the middle of the night by their young children, Bunny decided to humor her.

"What're ya doing here, bluey?"

"Couldn't sleep." Casey answered easily. "Can I stay here with you?"

He hesitated, thoughts tumbling over the implications, and she decided a little push was needed.

"If it bothers you, I could always go see if Jack is still up-"

The reaction was instantaneous. Just as Casey turned to 'leave', a paw grabbed the back of her shirt and hauled her onto the bed.

"Frostbite'll freeze yer toes off." Bunny grumbled, tamping down on the irrational jealousy he felt.

"Aw, so you _do_ care?" She teased sleepily, Agumon curling against her back as he went back to Dream Land.

"Stuff it and sleep, ya earbash."

Still rather pleased with herself, the teenager hunkered down, surprising the Pooka when she pressed into his chest with a happy little sigh.

"Like a grumpy teddy bear…"

With a mumbled threat, he settled, petting the wild mess of red hair as she fell asleep.

_Cheeky little bugger_…

Neither was aware of the figure watching from the shadows, sickly amber eyes seething in jealousy.

* * *

When Bunny woke up the next morning, he found himself in a pretty awkward position.

Sprawled on his back, pinned by the dead-weight of a sleeping teenager and with a-_wonderfully warm_-Digimon pressed against the pads of his feet, the Pooka sincerely wondered how he got into these situations.

"Bluey?"

The girl twitched, arms tightening around his torso like Bunny was a giant teddy bear.

With a sigh, he reached up and lightly shook her shoulder instead.

"Come on, bluey. Time to get up."

Grumbling at the disturbance, Casey buried her face in the Pooka's fur with a mumbled plea for "Five more hours…" as she stretched out like an upset cat.

Doing his very best not to think about all of the lithe muscles that had flexed against him under those soft curves-_and failing rather spectacularly_-, Bunny almost rejoiced when Agumon awoke and propped himself up.

"What's going on?" The Digimon slurred, big green eyes blinking in sleepy confusion.

"Mornin'." Bunny greeted. "Mind helpin' me out here?"

Taking a few moments for his mind to reboot, Agumon nodded and practically waddled up to his partner's head.

"Casey?"

When his query did not seem to rouse her, he said the only thing that seemed reasonable to his grumbling stomach.

"Don't you want breakfast?"

Faster than should have been humanly possible, Casey was sitting up, wide awake and looking around like a dog on high-alert for a bone.

"_Where_?"

Not seeing any pancakes or waffles-_or, as Casey called them, appetizers_-, the redhead finally noticed that she was basically straddling the Easter Bunny.

With the most innocent expression she could muster, she said the only thing that came to mind.

"We _really_ need to stop meeting like this."

* * *

Sunday mornings in Orias are peaceful affairs, mainly because everyone sleeps through them.

Birds sang and squirrels scampered across tree branches, giving the town an almost springtime feel despite the snow everywhere.

With no children running about who might spot the three Guardians, and no adults who would wonder about the teenagers or their Digimon, they felt safe to split up.

Having finished collecting Bee's things first-_and feeling rather relieved that her uncle was out cold from an all-nighter_-, Casey scribbled out a note for him and left as quickly as possible.

But now, standing in front of her apartment door, the redhead hesitated.

Bunny gently bumped her shoulder, concerned.

"What's wrong, bluey?"

Jolted from her thoughts, Casey managed a smile in reassurance.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just…"

The mask faltered, cracking, and her gaze returned to the door as Agumon nuzzled against her hip in concern.

"I don't want to lie to her."

Ears going back in sympathy, he wrapped an arm around her waist, nuzzling the girl's hair comfortingly.

"Ya don't have ta do this. Agumon and me can get everything ya need."

_Oh_, how she wanted to let them do it, to just completely avoid this whole situation, but…

"Doing the right thing is not always the easiest. Sometimes, pain is necessary."

Taking strength from her father's words, Casey shook her head.

"No, I…I need to do this."

Before she could change her mind, the red-haired teen opened the door and stepped inside the three-bedroom apartment she called Home.

Bunny hopped in, nose twitching as he took in all of the scents held within the faded walls.

There was Casey's, faint from the long hours away, and another that was fairly fresh, like vanilla and sunshine.

Agumon wasted no time following his partner down the short hallway to her bedroom, though he paused in front of another door in confusion, sniffing.

"Salamon?"

Casey paused in her bedroom doorway, sending the same confused look to her Digimon that Bunny was.

"Agu? What are you-?"

Something moved in her peripheral, and Casey whipped around to face her room fully, breath catching in fear.

_Nothing_.

Forcing her heartbeat to steady, Casey relaxed when her Digimon abandoned whatever had caught his attention to cuddle up to her like a large, scaly dog.

"Casey?"

"Bluey?"

"I'm fine." She assured mechanically, stepping over the threshold warily to flip on the light.

Everything was as it should be, though the redhead made a mental note to clean up the clothes scattered about, and she shooed away the last of her insecurities.

_It's been ten years; why would he come back now?_

Light reflected off glass, and Casey smiled as she picked up the goggles from her nightstand like they were precious jewels.

"What's that?" Bunny wondered, hiding his worry with curiosity.

"My dad's old goggles…"

Turning, she held them out for the Pooka to see better; the rounded glass, the weathered leather strap, and the slightly faded words 'Love, Angela' inked on the inside band with permanent marker.

"He's part of the Air Force, and my mom gave these to him a long time ago as a good luck charm." Casey explained, tone fond and warm. "Dad gave these to me when I was little, after…"

For a moment, Bunny could see a deep pain in her eyes, like guilt and mourning, before she shut them out.

"I haven't worn them in a long time."

After only a few seconds of contemplation, Casey pulled the goggles over her head, letting them hang around her neck with a faint _clink_ of reinforced glass.

"Can never have too much good luck, right?"

Shaking his head with a chuckle, Bunny nodded in agreement.

"Sure can't."

Both jumped at a sudden growl, turning to Agumon in confusion.

The little yellow Digimon was practically bristling, fangs bared as he looked around the room like a cornered animal, sparks crackling in the air with every turn of his head.

"Agu? What's wrong?"

"Someone's here." The dinosaur-like creature warned, pupils vibrating with adrenaline and nerves. "Someone dangerous."

Casey could not deny feeling uneasy, like she was in danger, and scanned the shadows cautiously.

Ears rotating like sonar dishes and nose twitching, Bunny hopped towards the door, growing tense.

"Bluey…"

A scream cut through the air like an arrow from a tightly-drawn bow.

_Casey had never felt so terrified_.

"EVIE!"

There was no time to think this through, no time to hesitate.

_Her baby sister was in danger_.

So, without wasting time on a second thought, Casey charged out into the hallway and into her sister's room like an enraged bull.

There was Pitch, amber eyes glowing eerily in the gloom, with his shark's grin in place as if in greeting.

_And he was holding Evie hostage_.

She looked so very tiny and frail in his grasp, like a caged bird, blue eyes brightening with hope at the sight of her savior.

Agumon growled as he got between the dark shade and his partner, the sound promising pain, while Bunny stopped behind her, boomerangs in hand.

"Put her down, Pitch." Casey demanded, knuckles white and pupils blown wide with adrenaline.

"Or you'll what, my dear? Hit me?" He taunted, amused. "We both know that won't work."

Jaw clenching in anger, she refused to acknowledge that he was right.

_She hated that about him_.

"Ya don't wanna hurt the girl, Pitch." Bunny warned, a glare settling on his face. "Just put her down, and no one gets hurt."

"And waste the opportunity?" Pitch goaded, petting the girl's ruffled curls in mock-affection. "Her fear tastes so sweet…Almost as good as yours, my dear."

Casey practically trembled with rage, gold eyes burning with promises of torture, and Agumon seemed to bristle with the residual effect.

"I have many plans for this particular little girl. I'm sure you know what I mean."

Snatches of memories bubbled up in her mind's eye; waking up screaming from searing pain, a woman's bloody face staring lifelessly back at her…

_Red on a pink baby blanket_.

Yes, Casey knew _exactly_ what he meant.

"Hurt my baby, and I'll _end you_."

The shade watched her, not at all perturbed by the violent impulses she was clearly holding back.

_Pitch certainly believed she would try_.

Evie whimpered, pale with stress and fright, gripping something tightly in her hand that no one could see.

A slight reflection of light off a dark screen, and Bunny could have sworn…

"Puppy Howling!"

The sonic barrage came as a shock, weakening Pitch's grasp, before a ball of light-colored fur attached to his arm with a snarl.

Crying out in surprised pain, the dark spirit unintentionally released his victim, who practically leapt into her sister's arm with tears in her eyes as he pried his attacker off.

Agumon recognized what she was immediately, but it was Evie who said her name in worry.

"Salamon!"

Growling and snapping her little fangs, the puppy-like creature struggled against Pitch's grip with fervor that Evie was not capable of at the moment.

"You mean…?"

Casey held her sister closer, throat tightening at the realization that _Evie had a Digimon_.

"Let 'er go!" Bunny ordered, throwing his boomerang with deadly accuracy as he recognized the dire situation they were in.

Pitch only laughed, evading the projectiles and escaping through the window with ease, Salamon's howl echoing off the brick.

"_Salamon_!" Evie cried, as if someone had grabbed her heart and _pulled_.

Bunny was already on the sill and leaping out after his target, the little girl's pain spurring him on.

_No one hurt a child and got away with it_.

Agumon ran up to the window, looking back at his partner urgently.

"We have to follow them!"

There was no time to ask why, so Casey pulled a shaking Evie onto her back, quietly urging her to hold on before grabbing Agumon's hand and pulling him out of the apartment at breakneck speeds.

The little blonde whimpered, fatigued from stress and some unknown ache, and the sound drove Casey faster.

Her feet hit concrete, and the redhead whipped around into the alley, where the two spirits were facing off in a battle of wills.

Salamon whined as the grip on her neck tightened, only the intricately-carved gold collar protecting against Pitch's sharp fingers, and Evie shuddered as if feeling the same pain.

The red-haired teenager carefully placed her sister on the ground, commanding Agumon with a look to guard the girl before stepping forward.

"Pitch!"

Her shout drew the spirits' attention, and she stood firm.

"You want me, right? The only child you couldn't transform into a Fearling?"

Confusion filled Bunny's face, along with a mounting dread.

_The only child…?_

"Let Salamon go, and I'll let you take another crack at it."

"What? _No_!" The Pooka shouted. "Are ya crazy? I ain't gonna let ya-!"

"Bunny."

She said it calmly, but there was a steel hidden in her tone and a fierceness in her eyes that cut right through his argument.

This was not a girl making a rash decision, or even a sister worried over her sibling; this was a mother bear defending her cub.

If there was one thing Bunny had learned, it was to never get between a mama bear and those she considered her own.

_Pitch never seemed to take the hint_.

Said Nightmare King was silent, mulling over the offer, before a sinister smile took root on his face.

"If you insist."

Nightmare-sand seeped up from the ground like demented weeds, wrapping around her legs in a vice-grip.

Startled by the sudden assault, Casey lurched back, a knee-jerk reaction to escape.

"What the-? You have to let Salamon go first!" The teenager argued, wincing as tendrils of dark sand grabbed her wrists and ground the bones together.

"I don't believe you specified when, exactly, I had to do that." The dark spirit taunted.

"You _son of a_-!"

Whatever insults or curses she was about to say were swallowed by another wave of sand, purposely taking on the shape of a shimmering black egg.

"Casey!" Agumon screamed, a spear of agony striking him through the Bond.

_The dark was overpowering_.

Blind to everything but his partner, he reached out to her mind in desperation.

There was pain, and darkness…

But the warm pulse of her heart, strong and unyielding, filled the Digimon with joy.

_They weren't beaten yet_.

Deafened to the outside world, surrounded on all sides by moving darkness and fear, Casey truly felt the touch of her Digimon through their Bond.

It was relief and unwavering loyalty, a promise that there was still time to fight and that he would be there…

"_CASEY_!"

The call of her sister penetrated the din, steeling the girl's resolve as light pushed back the dark around her.

_No more holding back_.

A blinding light escaped Agumon's skin, immediately distracting the two warring spirits with it's suddenness.

"Agumon, Digivolve to…**Greymon**!"

The massive Digimon roared his new strength to the sky, intimidating in his size, but Pitch stood firm.

After all, Casey was still-

The massive egg bulged, and the crackle of crystallizing sand reached them just before it exploded outward in a wave of fire.

Amid the shattered sand and shadowy glass was Casey, an orange tint glowing in her eyes that was not there before.

There she was, sparks tumbling off her skin and orange light faintly coming off her skin…

Bunny was awestruck.

"_You-Hurt-My-__**Baby**_."

The threat was very real, and Pitch knew it.

Good thing he had a back-up, then.

"Shellmon!"

In a tornado of uprooted concrete and asphalt, a massive spiked shell drilled up from the ground, sprouting a large pink head and arms with a wild mass of green tentacles for hair.

Bunny leapt to shield Evie and Salamon from the rubble, pulling them away from what was likely going to be a very dangerous fight.

Casey waited until they were a safe distance away before saying anything, glare trained on the smug Nightmare King.

"Greymon?"

The large, helmeted dinosaur smiled.

"I can take him."

"Good." She replied curtly, hands curling into fists. "Because this bastard's _mine_."

Fire exploded to life on her hands, and Casey lunged forward with one fist drawn back to nail Pitch in the face.

Evading swiftly, the spirit felt rather unsettled when her fist smashed through a brick wall instead of his head.

But Casey was far from done, going after her opponent with intent focus of a lioness on the hunt, punching and kicking wildly so fire flew from her blows in wide arcs.

Only the swift transport of shadows saved Pitch from being badly burned.

Shellmon roared, moving in protection of his temporary master, before Greymon slammed into him like a boulder.

Baring his fangs, the large dinosaur bashed his adversary's head with his helmet-covered forehead.

Shrieking in pain, Shellmon reared back, taking aim.

"Aqua Blaster!"

Side-stepping the high-pressure stream of water, Greymon opened his own maw.

"Nova Blast!"

Steam obscured any outside view of the battle, through Bunny's radar-like ears caught every impact and crackle of dying fire from his spot further down the alley.

Evie whimpered softly, curling around Salamon, and he nuzzled her hair in an attempt to soothe the little girl.

_Come on, bluey_, he urged silently. _The ankle biter won't hold up much longer_.

As if sensing this, the teenager's blows became more precise, grazing more often than not as she tried to end the fight more quickly.

Greymon lurched forward, levering his horn under Shellmon's immense grey shell and-

With a toss of the head, said Digimon was sent flipping into the air, exposing his vulnerable underbelly.

"_Nova Blast_!"

In an explosion of fire, Shellmon disintegrated into thin air, just like Kuwagamon and the snake-partner before him.

Seeing this, Pitch knew it was time to go.

Melding into a nearby shadow before Casey's foot could knock his head off, the shade appeared a distance away.

"While it was nice to see you again, my dear, I do need to be going."

A smirk crept across his face like poisonous mist.

"Though I must say, I do prefer your eyes this color."

Pitch disappeared before a fire blast could strike him full in the chest, and Casey growled in frustration.

_Why did he keep getting away?_

With a sigh and a burst of light, the pair were back to normal, collapsing to the ground in exhaustion.

"Bluey? Agumon?" Bunny fretted, hopping up to them with Evie clinging to his back.

"'M okay…" The redhead assured, looking at him upside-down. "But you wouldn't happen to have something to eat, would you?"

"We're _starving_…" Agumon agreed, hugging his stomach as he rolled in exaggeration.

A chuckle escaped the Pooka out of relief, and he smiled.

_Yeah, they're fine_…

* * *

**New Bio**

Name: Evelyn 'Eve' 'Evie' Kelley ('light' 'warrior')  
Age: 12  
Crest: Light  
Digimon Partner: Gatomon  
Hair: Blonde, ringlet curls, down to her upper arms and usually held up in pigtails  
Eye Color: Light blue  
Skin Tone/Build: Pale/Petite  
Height: 4'7''


	9. Chapter 7

Jack would never understand how two very different girls could be sisters.

Where Rocky was bright smiles and laughter and blonde curls, Kim was neutral frowns and silence and straight black locks, and the stark contrast was startling.

The only similarity they shared were their blue eyes, and even then Rocky had a lighter shade than her sister.

Watching the preteen run around the Workshop, Patamon close on her heels like an excited puppy, Jack wondered why.

* * *

Glass cool against her shoulder, Kim glanced out the window for a moment before returning to her sketchbook, the tip of her pencil recreating the wonderland outside with soft strokes.

Gabumon, perched on the window seat and leaning against her raised shins, smiled as Rocky and Patamon ran by in pursuit of a strange flying toy shaped like a dragon.

Kim was relaxed, warmed by her Digimon's pelt and expression soft as her sister's giggles echoed off the walls.

Turning to a fresh page, she let her pencil move as if under it's own power.

Intricate snowflakes bloomed across the paper, creating shapes without conscious effort.

"Whoa…"

Blinking away the trance she had fallen into, Kim tilted her head up to see Jack literally hovering over her shoulder, looking rather impressed as a smirk grew on his face.

"Never thought anyone could capture me so well on paper."

Expression carefully blank, the black-haired teen looked back down and realized that the snowflakes she had been creating formed a rather detailed picture of Jack Frost mid-flight.

_If she had less self-control, she would have blushed_.

"I've had a lot of practice." Kim replied neutrally.

Interested, the winter spirit leaned on his staff, still held aloft by a soft gust of wind.

"What sort of things do you normally draw?"

Dark blue eyes narrowed, assessing Jack for some sort of ulterior motive.

_Jack felt like she could see into his very soul at that moment_.

"…Whatever catches my attention, I suppose." She finally said, the intensity of her stare dying down.

Honestly, the sentiment-_indirect as it was_-made Jack feel rather honored.

Out of all the Guardians, all the amazing things she had seen in the last few hours, Kim had drawn _him_.

"Jack!"

The rather sentimental moment was broken by Rocky's sudden shout, latching on to the winter spirit's waist in a hug.

"You said we could go out and make snowmen!"

"So I did." Jack agreed, a mischievous spark in his eyes. "But wouldn't it be more fun if Kim came with us?"

Her face lit up at the idea, and she turned to Kim with the most pleading expression imaginable.

"Do you want to come play with us?"

Jack was surprised when the older girl only took a moment to reply.

"You'll need a jacket and snow pants."

Rocky practically squealed with joy, jumping to hug her sister before running to find North, shouting her thanks gleefully as Patamon struggled to keep up.

Smiling at her enthusiasm, the winter spirit turned back just in time to see the soft, almost wistful expression on Kim's face before it was hidden away.

Her eyes narrowed at the awestruck, subdued look on Jack's face that followed.

"What?"

Shaking himself back into the present, he just grinned.

"Nothing."

* * *

Jack soon found that, where Kim did not give away much of anything, Gabumon was much more expressive.

The winter spirit imagined that the Digimon was channeling the emotions his partner did not show, making him a good key to what Kim actually thought about things.

As Gabumon rolled a large sphere of snow after Patamon and Rocky like an out-of-control boulder, laughing along with them as Kim sat on the sidelines with their half-finished snowman, Jack knew that she was having fun.

When the three were finally exhausted, and Kim began to herd them back into Santoff Claussen, the boy floated up to her side with a smirk.

"How do you feel about snowball fights?"

* * *

_Well, _that_ could have gone better_…

While the whole snowball/elf war had been pretty epic, and had even got Kim to show some amusement, being lectured by Ma had been less than ideal.

Three hundred years old, and she had managed to make him feel like a naughty child in only a few minutes.

The worst part, though?

_Having to clean up the mess_.

Looking up from mopping the soaked floorboards, Jack was surprised to see Kim pick up a second mop, silently joining him in drying the wooden floor.

Once the gesture sunk in, the winter spirit smiled, turning back to the work with a tune humming under his breath.

The slightest of smiles was hidden in the corner of her mouth as she softly followed along.

* * *

Life before had been lonely, Gabumon could admit that.

Sometimes, pressed against Kim's side and dozing, he could almost imagine it was all a dream, that the strong pulse of his partner had always been there and he had never felt the sharp bite of loneliness in his soul.

Though Kim did not show her emotions, she felt them so deeply he could feel them through the Bond as if they were his own.

Surges of concern, of happiness, of uncertainty, of suspicion; they flared up from the jumbled core of _feelings_ she held deep inside, so wild that Gabumon wondered how she coped.

So much of that tangle was built of sadness and guilt and regret, a constant hum of pain beneath the momentary flashes of happiness and contentment and warmth.

Shaking the water out of his fur, Gabumon watched as the winter spirit chatted away amicably, not seeming to mind that Kim did not say anything.

But Gabumon could feel that warmth through the Bond, though there was a strange sadness tainting it that he could not understand.

For some reason, Jack made her both happy and sad…

_And Gabumon could not figure out why_.

* * *

The dark had never frightened Kim, even as a child.

She took comfort in the quiet it brought, taking the extra time to mull over the day's events and catalogue any useful information.

Lounging in an armchair, Gabumon curled into her side, she closed her eyes with a soundless sigh.

Rocky's soft, even breaths helped lull her into a state of calm, where she could better organize everything that had happened.

Gabumon relaxed with a purr, nudging her shoulder until Kim started running her fingers over the intricate runes on his horn.

A secret smile hid in the corner of her mouth as he settled, content.

_Everything was as it should be_.

* * *

Orias is such a strange blend of suburban calm and big city bustle that Kim often wondered if the architect was slightly bipolar.

Living in one of the transition areas, an apartment building just on the edges of suburbia and urban traffic, she felt the contrast keenly.

The building itself was rather modern, all sleek metal and glass, with no gardens or trees to block the view of it.

_Only the best_, Kim thought with some bitterness.

The apartment was spacious and open, a large living room with a door leading to a full kitchen and a hallway that likely held the bedrooms, closets and bathroom.

Jack found the entire place rather…_sterile_, like everything had come out of a magazine and no one was allowed to touch.

"So, you live here, huh?" He wondered, floating over to a large flat screen TV as Kim set her Digimon down. "Where are your parents? At work or something?"

"…Yes. At work." The black-haired teenager answered, a subdued tone to her voice catching Jack's attention immediately.

Gabumon looked up at her, extremely worried, but her face was like a mask as she turned to go down the hallway.

The two boys shared a glance, and Jack saw what he had missed in Kim's eyes reflected in her Digimon's orange pair; a deep, unrelenting guilt.

_What did she have to be guilty for?_

Following her down the dark hallway, the winter spirit paused on the threshold, taking in what must be Rocky's room with wide eyes.

Everything was yellow and white; ruffled bed skirts and ballet slippers hanging from hooks near the closet, stuffed animals piled on the pillows and dolls shoved in a corner with a detailed little house.

There were racks full of shoes in the closet, little purses with brand names hanging just over them, and Jack knew instinctively that Rocky had not asked for any of it.

She was such a sweet, thoughtful child that asking for such expensive things was not in her nature.

Kim grabbed a duffel bag from under the bed, and systematically began going through the drawers and closet for whatever clothes her sister actually wore.

Jack floated around, taking in the room, as Gabumon helped his partner carefully fold everything away for maximum space.

Neither male said anything to break the silence, sensing that Kim was not in the mood to talk, though they worried.

Carefully pretending not to notice, Kim closed the duffel and stood, dragging it into the hallway.

She could not even begin to explain the complicated mess that was her paternal relationship, let alone about her mother, and so she stayed quiet.

As the black-haired girl went into her own room, Jack floated up to the last closed door in the hall, peeking inside.

It was a bedroom, like he expected a parent to have; a double-bed, a nightstand, an attached bathroom…

_He got the unnerving feeling that no one had ever used it_.

"Jack."

Whipping around, the winter spirit smiled sheepishly at the slightly suspicious look Kim was leveling him with.

"Sorry."

Kim just shook her head, but there was a spark of affection in her eyes as she turned away that made Jack feel warm all over.

Her bedroom was dark, but not in a threatening way; the walls and ceiling were painted like a clear night's sky, and someone had lovingly recreated the stars and a large, shining moon overhead that reminded Jack of his first moments of immortality.

A shelf sat to one side, holding a wide array of ribbons and trophies for various martial arts tournaments and, just below, a few framed pictures from her childhood years.

_It was as if nothing mattered after she was five_.

Jack paused, confused, at a picture that was of Kim, Casey and Ma sometime in kindergarten.

_Since when had Casey's eyes been blue?_

Kim was going through her sketches and paintings, carefully putting them into folders, as Gabumon tugged another bag out of the closet.

Jack picked up the packs of special markers, pens, and pencils from the desk, placing them gingerly in the backpack Kim had produced for her artwork, before going back to studying her space.

She hardly seemed to mind, if Gabumon's disinterest was any indication, so the winter spirit floated up to the desk once more.

The surface was scratched and inked from long hours of work, and Jack smiled at a little snowflake etched into the upper right corner, as intricate as his own creations.

"Jack."

Blinking innocently at the call of his name-_a natural reflex_-, he fumbled with the bag thrown into his arms, startled.

"I've packed everything." Kim said in way of explanation. "We can go."

"Jeez, relax." The winter spirit replied breezily, pulling a Snow Globe from his hoodie pocket. "We can just send the stuff through a portal and have some fun! There's a pond near here, right? We can hang out there for a little while."

Those dark blue eyes studied him intently again, suspicion narrowing them into slits, and he wondered what had brought that sort of reaction on.

"…It's dangerous to stay out in the open for too long." She warned, shoulders squared and tense.

Gabumon bristled uncertainly beside her, looking between the two in honest confusion.

"I'll protect you." Jack promised sincerely.

Startled by the unexpected sentiment, Kim studied him, wanting so desperately to believe him and yet…

_She wasn't sure she deserved it_.

"…Alright." Kim relented, averting her gaze. "Half an hour, and not a minute longer."

Excited, Jack wasted no time opening a portal, throwing the bags through, and dragging Kim out of the apartment.

They only had half an hour, after all.

Opening one of the larger windows, he hopped onto the sill, turning to Kim and her ruffled Digimon with a grin.

"Ready?"

She hesitated for a few moments before picking Gabumon up and settling him on her back, hiding the old memory behind a mask of annoyance as she nodded.

Taking the girl's hands in his own, Jack called the Wind, which gladly lifted the trio up and out of the building.

Muscles contracting in a natural response to suddenly hovering in midair, Kim pulled herself closer to Jack instinctively, relaxing minutely when he wrapped an anchoring arm around her hips.

The winter spirit paused at the nagging feeling that someone else had once done the same, but shook it away, telling the Wind their destination.

As they were whisked away, high enough not to be accidentally seen, Gabumon pressed against his partner's back nervously, not at all made for flying.

The Digimon was relieved once they landed, dropping onto the snow-covered bank with a sigh before looking around curiously.

The lake was rather small, more like an oversized pond than anything, covered with a thin layer of ice, surrounded by frosted grass and shielding trees.

It was rather pretty, actually.

Kim sighed, taking in the scenery with a wary sense of familiarity.

_White mists of laughter, numbed fingers, bright bright blue eyes_-

She shoved the memories down with quite a bit of difficulty.

A snowball struck her cheek, causing Kim to stumble a step as she blinked the icy flakes from her lashes in surprise.

Jack laughed, creating another as the blue sparkle of his magic settled around her face.

"Is that the best you've got?"

Calmly, the mortal teenager bent down to scoop up some snow, sculpting a sphere.

Jack yelped as it struck him in the face and sent him falling backwards.

Gabumon chuckled at the dumbfounded look on the boy's face, showing his partner's amusement.

"Five years of Little League Baseball." She explained simply, smug.

A smirk crossed Jack's face as he stood, picking up his fallen ammunition.

_Challenge accepted_.

The two exchanged fire quickly after that, Gabumon jumping to his partner's aid with a well-aimed "Blue Blaster!" that evened the playing field against the flying, snow-creating winter spirit.

Eventually, the joy-inducing magic of Jack's snowballs wore at Kim's steely self-control, and she started to laugh.

The sound was deep and genuine, slightly roughened from disuse, and it went right to Jack's heart, a fogged memory taking shape in his mind's eye.

Distracted by the strange epiphany, he was caught off-guard by a full-body tackle that sent the two tumbling through the snow.

Twisting, the winter spirit pinned her down, letting out a startled breath at the relaxed, smiling expression that softened her face.

Looking into her dark blue eyes, warm with affection and laughter, the pieces clicked into place.

"Kay?"

Recognition flashed in the ocean-like depths before Gabumon's growl snapped both of them back to reality.

"Well, isn't this sweet?"

Jack leapt to his feet, staff at the ready, and Kim lifted herself smoothly into a battle-ready crouch with Gabumon at her side.

Pitch watched them from the darkness, smirking.

"A happy reunion, I assume."

"What do you want, Pitch?" Jack demanded, icy magic glowing in the crook of his staff.

"I need a reason?" The shade wonder, mock-innocent. "It's been so long, I was only wondering how little Kimi was doing."

Suspicions taking shape, Kim's careful mask settled into place like a second skin as Gabumon bared his fangs.

"We've never met."

"Not personally." He agreed. "But I knew your mother _very_ well."

Anger seeped through the cracks, and Gabumon snarled blue sparks.

Pitch seemed oblivious to the reaction he had caused, though Jack was not.

"Such a weak will…It was all too easy to convince her that this world would be better off without her. Oh, but she fought, kept saying she loved her little girls…"

Kim's gaze was razor-sharp, knuckles bone-white as she zeroed in on the vulnerable points of the dark spirit's body.

_Eyes, throat_-

"She was soon convinced you would be better off without her. And you are, aren't you? Such a bright child shouldn't be hampered by such a worthless mother."

_Diaphragm, kidneys_-

"Though she was rather theatric about it. Wallowing in misery for weeks before finally going through with it."

_Knees, groin_-

"Oh, how she _cried_…"

Pitch disappeared into the shadows before the heel of Kim's palm slammed into his nose, cracking the tree bark instead.

The cold fury in her eyes was enough to silence him.

"_No one_ speaks about my mother that way." She rasped out, reining in her temper and deep-seated pain with Herculean effort.

If Pitch had thought Casey's rage only an hour before had been intimidating, he found Kim's almost menacing.

Her wrath was not wild and unpredictable, but honed like a blade, wielded with a logical precision that promised agonizing pain.

"You should be thanking me." He claimed, forcefully at ease. "You wouldn't be the person you are today if I hadn't interfered."

"And that's a good deed in your eyes?" Kim shot back, insulted. "To make a little girl bitter and empty by taking her mother away? Like you did to Casey? Were you disappointed when she refused to break, so you decided to try again?"

Her voice was eerily calm despite the anger growing inside, and it sent a foreign chill down Jack's spine.

The little girl he had known, so very happy and bright…

Pitch had done this to her?

Caused her to shut down and shut out the world?

_Jack would never forgive him for that_.

Pitch frowned, freshly reminded of his earlier failure to convert his original target.

"It worked, didn't it?"

"No." Kim responded firmly. "It didn't."

Gabumon leapt forward, reacting to his partner's upset.

"Blue Blaster!"

The shade dodged the tinted flames quickly, melding into the shadows before a well-aimed kick could land on his face.

Nightmares rose up around the trees, galloping towards her in a reckless charge Kim had not been expecting.

"Blue Blaster! Blue Blaster!"

Kim jerked back, arms raised to block the brunt of any impact-

The Nightmares shrieked as they were disintegrated under a wave of icy magic, leaving Kim to stare in surprise.

"Jack…"

The winter spirit turned to her, serious and implacable as a blizzard.

"I won't let him hurt you again."

This declaration stunned her.

Why?

Why, when he knew how damaged and scarred she was, would he still care?

_Why_?

Sizing up the opposition, Pitch decided to pull in the big guns early.

"Seadramon!"

A massive sea dragon-like Digimon burst through the lake's ice, roaring to the sky before turning to the trio with bared fangs.

Gabumon bristled, stepping between his partner and the new threat with a growl as they were boxed in by Nightmares.

"I'll take the creepy horses, and you take the giant sea lizard?" Jack voiced, slightly nervous.

Kim frowned, sizing up her opponent with a critical eye.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really."

Seadramon lunged with bared fangs, intent on devouring his prey, and Gabumon jumped into action.

"Blue Blaster!"

The little flames scorched the sea serpent's face, causing him to pull back with an annoyed glare, tail coming around in a powerful swing.

Gabumon cried out as he was struck, tumbling head-over-claws through the slushy sand and snow into a disoriented heap quite a few yards away.

The pain echoed through the Bond like a physical ache, and Kim winced as it shuddered through her entire body.

"Gabumon!"

Blasting a Nightmare that threatened to smash his face in, Jack turned sharply at the rush of displaced air beside him.

"KAY!"

The black-haired teenager cried out as she was tackled to the ground and pinned down by a cold body, eyes snapping open at his grunt of pain.

Holding himself up with great difficulty, Jack opened one eye as the Nightmare ground into his back with both forelegs, trying to make him buckle.

"A-Are you okay?"

"Jack…" She muttered, so very confused.

_Why was he trying so hard to protect her?_

"I told you once that we were friends." He insisted, firm. "_Let me prove it to you_."

Kim had not felt such a swell of emotion since she was a child, overwhelmed and lost, and she had no idea where to turn.

Then a presence touched her through the Bond, sturdy and warm, and she realized it was Gabumon.

It felt like worry and protectiveness and _it's alright, I'm here, I'll always be here for you_…

That was all she needed.

Light flooded from the Digivice at her hip, and both girl and Digimon were lost from sight as the glow enveloped them.

"Gabumon, Digivolve to…**Garurumon**!"

The massive blue wolf pounced on Seadramon's head as the serpent went in to finish the teenager's off, sinking his fangs into his neck as his opponent thrashed.

With a shriek, the Nightmare tormenting Jack was blasted to pieces by a high-pressure blast of water, and the winter spirit toppled over in surprise.

Blinking his vision clear, he looked up at Kim, awed by the flash of liquid-blue in her eyes and the water swirling around her body like bladed rings.

"I won't let anyone hurt you again."

The liquid rippled as she raised a hand, and came down like a tsunami on the surrounding Nightmares.

Garurumon snarled as he lost his grip, landing behind his partner gracefully and baring his blood-spattered fangs at Seadramon in warning.

Pitch cursed under his breath, calling nightmare-sand up from the ground like tentacles as Seadramon hissed in outrage.

"Ice Blast!"

Kim brought both hands around, the snow melting and forming a dome over the trio before the attack struck, freezing it to solid ice.

Dark shadows struck from all sides, trying to break through, but the dome held strong under Kim's focus.

"Garurumon."

The large wolf nodded, crouching down and ready to move.

"Cover your head." Kim warned, eyes narrowing on a minute crack in her shield as Jack took her advice.

The moment her hands fell, Garurumon busted through the suddenly-weakened ice with a snarl.

"Howling Blaster!"

Seadramon shrieked, jerking back as his face and upper body were badly burned by the powerful blue flames.

With a clenched fist, Kim caught the shattered ice of her dome and threw them like daggers.

Dodging the sharp projectiles, Pitch scowled to hide his alarm as they cut through the surrounding trees.

Enraged, Seadramon opened his maw with a hiss.

"Ice Blast!"

"Howling Blaster!"

The attacks met in midair, but Garurumon's proved to be the stronger of the two as it enveloped the stream of icicles and struck Seadramon full in the face.

With one last screech, the sea serpent disintegrated, the only sign of his existence the cracked ice and disheveled snow.

Seeing this, Pitch knew it was time to go.

"Well, this was _fun_, but I do need to be going."

Eyes narrowed into a glare, Kim shot a high-pressure sphere of water at the shade's face as he melted into the shadows.

"Coward."

When nothing else came out to attack them, she slowly relaxed, light flashing around the pair as they returned to normal.

Blinking the fog away as Jack took hold of her arm, the girl allowed him to support her weight.

"Tired?" The winter spirit teased, hiding his concern with humor.

"Extremely." She admitted, patting Gabumon's head as he leaned into her hip with a sigh. "Can we go now?"

Jack nodded, patting her braid down in a comforting manner.

"Yeah…Yeah, we can go back."

Both knew he was talking about something deeper than going back to Santoff Claussen.

_Kim just hoped it was possible_.


	10. Chapter 8

Tooth, as the Guardian of Memories, remembered every child that had ever believed in her, and the teeth she had collected from them.

She knew Casey had most of her baby teeth lost in playground brawls, and Bee's first had been forcibly knocked out a little earlier than planned.

Kim had lost the first few in martial arts tournaments, and Faye knocked her own out while skateboarding or climbing trees.

Rocky lost hers from falling a lot as a child-_though that did nothing to slow her down_-, and Ally had…lost most of hers before she was eight.

Ma had always been so good about brushing and flossing, and lost all of her baby teeth naturally, each like a sharp little pearl.

While no mortal could have teeth as white as Jack's, Ma had been the closest, and so Tooth found herself immediately taking a liking to the girl.

And if she found herself harboring a little crush, well…

_It certainly wouldn't be the first time_.

* * *

Within a couple hours of breakfast, Ma was fairly certain she had met all of the mini-fairies that collected the Eastern Hemisphere's teeth.

Biyomon seemed to like them, flying around with the swarm in whatever games they managed to think up.

One of the fairies, smaller than her sisters, had taken to following Ma around instead.

The teenager found she hardly minded, and listened to the little fairy chirp away, pink eyes bright with joy.

Ma recognized the behavior for what it was-_as Ally had been_-, and found herself offering friendship.

"Do you mind if I call you Sweet Tooth?"

The fairy was surprised by the offer, overwhelmed into tears.

They were so often lumped together, always 'the fairies', so to have a name, _your very own name_, like Jack Frost had given Baby Tooth…

It was an amazing gift.

Ma sputtered and giggled as the newly-dubbed 'Sweet Tooth' nuzzled her face, squeaking happily in acceptance as the girl's hands cupped her small body.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'."

* * *

Tooth was so busy directing her fairies that she hardly noticed that most of them were chatting amongst themselves about something.

When she did listen in-_during a lull in the loss of teeth_-, the female spirit was curious.

A story?

Someone was reading the fairies a story?

Intrigued, Tooth flew over to one of the many sitting rooms in Santoff Claussen, peeking through the open doorway.

Ma was sitting in an armchair by the fireplace, legs crossed and Biyomon sitting comfortably on her lap, and holding a book open near her shins.

The mini-fairies fluttered quietly in front of her even as they rotated out, shushing the elves when their belled hats jingled.

"_Will watched, horrified. A thought was forming, an idea was lurking somewhere at the edge of his mind. He looked to one side, saw the flickering torch that Baron Arald had discarded. Fire. The one weapon that could defeat the Kalkara. But he was forty meters away...He whipped an arrow from his quiver, slipping from the saddle and running lightly to the flickering torch._"

There was an animation to her face and a subtle draw in her voice that enraptured the female spirit, and she softly ordered her entourage to take care of the teeth for a while.

Fluttering silently to the back of the room, she smiled at the happy little squeaks of her fairies as they listened intently to the story as the boy defeated the evil Kalkara and earned the praise of his fellows for his bravery.

"_Will sat quietly for some minutes. Almost unthinkingly, his hand went to touch the bronze oak leaf symbol hanging at his throat. Faintly, the evening breeze carried the sounds of the Battleschool drill yard to him, and the nonstop hammering and clanking from the armory that had been going on, night and day, for the past week. They were the sounds of Castle Redmont preparing for the coming war. Yet strangely, for the first time in his life, he felt at peace._"

Ma closed the paperback novel with a snap, smiling at her audience.

"And that's the end."

A chorus of unhappy squeaks rose up from the fairies, and even Biyomon whined.

"But that can't be the end!" The pink bird Digimon insisted, big blue eyes pleading. "What about Morgarath? And the Wargals? Are Alice and Will going to end up together?"

Petting her Digimon's head comfortingly, Ma laughed.

"I can't just tell you! But the fairies have work to do, and I can't keep them here any longer, can I?"

The fairies, while equally impatient for more of the story, sheepishly agreed.

Biyomon sighed, nodding, and Ma nuzzled her head comfortingly.

"But I'll read the next one after we get settled in, okay?"

"Okay!" The Digimon approved, giggling.

Sweet Tooth zipped up, nodding quickly, and Ma smiled.

"Good! Now that that's settled, you should all be heading out."

As she gently shooed them out, careful of their delicate wings and mindful of the elves underfoot, Tooth fluttered up with a smile.

"That was a wonderful story."

The teenager blushed as red as her dyed bangs, avoiding direct eye contact as her hand carded through the soft feathers on Biyomon's head.

"Oh, well…Thanks. I didn't write the book or anything, but they seemed to enjoy it…"

"Would you mind if I sat in next time?" Tooth wondered, somewhat shy.

Warm brown eyes met vibrant purple, and the fairy's heart went all aflutter as Ma smiled.

"I'd…really like that."

* * *

The kitchen was bustling with yeti baking cookies and mixing hot chocolate, fruitcakes sitting on the counters to cool while being firmly defended from greedy elfin fingers.

Ma watched them with interest, petting Biyomon's head as the Digimon happily munched on cookies, a mug of cream-laden coffee cooling on the table next to her.

"Oh, you should have seen it! Bunny was all sorts of colors-_Bei Jing, twenty-three lateral incisors and nine bicuspids_-and Jack couldn't fly straight he was laughing so hard! I felt bad, but-_Denver, fourteen premolars and eleven canines_-he was bright pink and I couldn't help myself!" Tooth chattered, wings buzzing though she was sitting down.

Giggling at the image of a bright pink Easter Bunny, the teenager smiled.

Faye had much worse habits-_changing topics in the middle of sentences, forgetting the point of the conversation, getting distracted by shiny objects_-, so Ma found herself adjusting easily.

There were so many stories to share; of failed pranks and creative retribution, of trials and victories, that she had no idea where to start.

So Ma let Tooth go on, recounting whatever stories came to mind amidst her work, and relaxed as Biyomon finished her cookies to snuggle up like a large feathered cat.

If this was how things would be from now on…

_Ma didn't mind so much, in that case_.

* * *

Ma was very much used to being the adult in most situations.

Faye, the oldest, was also the most immature, and while Casey had good intentions, she often let her emotions get the best of her.

Kim was the most serious and no-nonsense of the group, but she only interfered in the most serious cases, leaving everything else for Ma to handle.

_Apparently, 'snowball/elf wars' fell under Ma's jurisdiction_.

Faced with the war zone-_melting snow on the furniture, dizzy elves stumbling across the wet floor, icy patches tripping the little creatures_-and two suddenly sheepish teenagers, she let out an exasperated breath as Tooth giggled.

_I should be paid for this_.

* * *

Biyomon had never felt such warmth in her entire existence, like being comfortably wrapped up in a fluffy blanket with some yummy hot chocolate all the time.

Her life Before-_before Ma, before the Guardians_-was a vacuum in comparison.

While the Digimon had been together since they hatched-_had looked out for each other, had saved each other_-, there was no denying the emptiness they had all felt.

How could any Digimon live without a partner for longer than they had?

While most seemed to live rather happily until they reached the Champion level, Biyomon doubted she could have lasted.

Ma is such a wonderful partner, reading her stories and letting her eat sweets and watching her play with the fairies, that Biyomon could not ever imagine finding the will to Digivolve without her.

Even now, settled in the nest of blankets Ma had created, the little bird Digimon felt whole and happy like she never had before.

Resting her head on the teenager's hip, listening to the even, soft breaths of sleep, Biyomon smiled.

_There was no way she could ever repay her_.

* * *

Ma was _exhausted_.

Packing away Ally and Faye's things were difficult tasks in and of themselves, but together, they were _massive_.

It took hours to gather all of Ally's shirts, blouses, pants, shorts, skirts, jackets, purses and shoes, even with the help of Tooth and her mini-fairies, not to mention the large collection of guitars that were apparently paramount for the girl's continued existence.

Faye had an impressive assortment of books, from thick tomes to comics and graphic novels, and Ma carefully packed them away in cardboard boxes for safe travel.

Tooth was glad for the three Snow Globes given to her by North, which made sending the bags and boxes back to Santoff Claussen much easier than if they had to carry them.

Night was falling by the time they were done, and Tooth was growing busier as the Western Hemisphere went to sleep with teeth under their pillows.

Holding Biyomon to her chest like one would a sleepy toddler, Ma led the rambling fairy through deserted back streets towards her home across town.

Sweet Tooth flitted around the teenager's head, chirping as she pointed out different things to the curious Digimon, only half-listening to her sisters.

The brunette slowed as they began to pass the local kindergarten, all bright colors and jungle gyms even in the growing dark, and it brought a smile to her face.

"Prema?"

Jogged from good memories, the girl blinked up at Tooth in mild confusion.

_She hadn't realized she had stopped walking until then_.

"Sorry, I was just…thinking."

Curious, the fairy flitted closer, her little helpers quieting.

"About what?" Ma hesitated, but only for a moment.

_What was the harm?_

"This is where me, Kim and Casey met." She explained, a smile blooming across her face. "Casey was so eager to make friends, and Kim was always smiling…We became really close."

A giggle escaped her, and Tooth almost burst at the good memories she could see in the girl's eyes.

"I remember showing them how to change diapers, and how to potty train…We made such a mess! And watching all five little ones…Oh, it was chaos!"

"Five?" Tooth voiced, momentarily confused.

"I have triplet brothers: Tab, Tob and Tib." Ma explained, smile soft with motherly affection. "The boys are only a little younger than Rocky, actually. Little troublemakers, always into one thing or another…"

Tooth hovered for a moment, putting the pieces together in her mind.

"But you were so young…Where were your parents?"

Suddenly, the warm spark of good memories dimmed, something sad darkening her expression.

"They're…busy. Casey's dad is gone for months at a time, and so is Kim's. Sometimes Casey's aunt has time to watch them, but not often."

The fairy frowned, not liking the sound of that at all, and Sweet Tooth chirped in agreement, feathers puffed up in agitation.

But she was not ready to drop her guard-_maybe she never would be_-, so Ma diverted the conversation smoothly despite the flash of upset she felt from Biyomon.

"It's getting late. We should keep going."

Though Tooth wanted to know, to understand, she let the conversation fall away for the moment.

Biyomon looked up at her partner with big worried eyes, sensing the anger and guilt and sadness flaring through the Bond, but found nothing to say.

Sweet Tooth twittered softly, landing on the teenager's shoulder and nuzzling into her neck.

Tooth hovered in place for a moment, conflicted, before she realized something was wrong.

"Prema…"

Ma barely paused, half-turning to the female spirit in confusion, and the fairy gasped as shadows reared up behind the girl like spears.

"_Prema_!"

The shadows came down, and-

"Spiral Twister!"

Flinching back as the green flames exploded against dark sand, Ma stumbled as Sweet Tooth squeaked in fright.

Biyomon landed on the ground, standing protectively in front of her partner while scanning the darkness for danger.

"You should be more careful."

The bird Digimon jumped into the air, turning to face the man standing off to their right, half-hidden by shadows and showing a dangerous shark's grin.

"You never know what sorts of monsters are going bump in the night."

"Pitch!" Tooth growled, flying in-between them and bristling in protective fury. "What are you doing here?"

"Getting rid of a threat." He replied easily, circling them like prey. "Why would I let you and the Guardians keep such weapons when they can be used against me? Best to strike now, while they're still vulnerable."

Placing a hand on Sweet Tooth to soothe the little fairy, Ma's heart squeeze in dread.

"The others…"

Pitch's smile was all sharp edges and dark secrets.

The implication alone-_no, they can't be gone, not Casey and Kim, __**not them**_-was enough to trigger the brunette's maternal instincts for the others.

Casey and Kim might have been trained, might have more experience, **but she would be damned if he won now and went after the others**.

"_You won't have time to regret hurting my friends_." Ma growled, sounding very much like the mother bear her friends nicknamed her after.

Pitch was not at all threatened, not like he had been with the others, who visibly had the skills and strength to back up their claims.

_He honestly should have known better_.

His nightmare-sand rose up as Nightmares, pawing the ground and ready to charge-

"Spiral Twister!"

Evading the green spiral of flames as one of the mares disintegrated, the Nightmare King was rather startled by the killer intent radiating from the little pink bird.

_Biyomon would not stand to have anyone hurt her partner_.

"Spiral Twister! Spiral Twister!"

Tooth flew through the air like a bullet, her wings slicing through the threat like tissue paper, as her mini-fairies flew up out of harm's way.

All but Sweet Tooth.

The little fairy hid in the shadow of Ma's hair as the brunette leapt into action, years of gymnastics and Kim's instruction coming into play.

Building up momentum, she kicked a Nightmare's head into dust, spinning into a crouch to avoid another biting her arm off before thrusting up with both legs.

With a whinny, it was gone, and Ma twisted into a standing position as Biyomon circled her protectively.

But Pitch had learned his lesson twice before, and he wasted no time.

"Meramon!"

The three girls were stunned as a large, humanoid _ball of fire_ dropped out of the sky.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me…"

Apparently not, since Meramon was still there when she blinked.

"_Crap_."

"Fireball!"

Ma yelped as she dove out of the way, shielding Sweet Tooth with both hands as a fiery fist broke through the concrete she had been standing on only moments before.

"Leave her alone!" Biyomon shouted. "Spiral Twister!"

The green spiral dissipated on contact, and Tooth gasped as Meramon only grew larger as a result.

"Biyo-"

"Spiral Twister! Spiral Twister! _Spiral Twister_!"

"_Biyo_!"

The bird Digimon stopped her assault, finally realizing the effects of her flames, and wilted sheepishly.

"Oops?"

With a laugh, Meramon swung his arm and smacked Biyomon into a brick wall with barely a passing glance.

It felt like being punched in the heart, and Ma gasped at the shock of it as Meramon turned to her with a smirk.

Sweet Tooth flew up in front of the teenager as if she could somehow fend the large Digimon off, puffed up and chirping loudly.

Laughing at the rather pathetic attempt, Meramon raised his foot as if to just stomp them into the ground.

Tooth, cut off from them by Nightmares, cried out in despair.

"NO!"

Then Biyomon was there, shielding them from the coming attack, and Ma could _feel_ her through Bond, all of the worry and protectiveness and _no, I won't let you hurt her, not if I have a say in it_…

And realized that there was no giving up, not now.

_**Not when everyone she cared about was in danger**_.

Pitch cursed at the light that enveloped them.

"Biyomon, Digivolve to…**Birdramon**!"

Meramon was tossed back by the sudden size-change, and Birdramon spread her wings with an eagle's shriek, flaming feathers lighting up the gloom.

The wind sang, mussing Ma's hair as it circled her in a miniature tornado, sharpening into blades that cut through any Nightmares that tried to get close.

_Honestly, Pitch was starting to feel like this was just _not_ his day_.

Sweet Tooth squeaked, hiding in Ma's hair as the teenager regained her equilibrium, red shining through the chocolate of her eyes.

With a wave of her arm, the wind flew out and struck the surrounding Nightmares like a freight train as Birdramon took to the sky.

"Fireball!"

The projectile missed by scant inches, and the large phoenix Digimon took the opening.

"Meteor Wing!"

Meramon cried out as the multitude of fireballs struck him in the chest, sending the humanoid Digimon flying back.

Herding her mini-fairies away from the battle, Tooth watched in awe as the brunette tore through the nightmare-sand constructs like they were made of smoke.

Swiftly dodging another attempt to ground her, Birdramon dove, slamming into Meramon with such force that their combined force created a false earthquake.

Before Ma could jump to her Digimon's aid, nightmare-sand wrapped around her legs and snapped back like a whip, flinging the girl high into the air with a cry.

"_MA_!" Birdramon shrieked, sensing her partner's panic but unable to break free from the tussle with Meramon to help.

Everything blurred as she twisted and flipped, lights and stars blending in a dizzy display, so Ma closed her eyes and reached inside for the Bond, where the power had come from, and-

Having been rushing up to catch the girl before she fell, Tooth gasped as the wind wrapped around her in a cyclone, practically slingshotting her back.

_And right at Pitch_.

The Nightmare King had only a few moments to realize this before she pounced, knocking them head-over-heels before slamming him into the ground.

Freeing her wings, Birdramon reared back.

"_Meteor Wing_!"

Meramon's death scream echoed off the bricks as he disintegrated into nothing, following in the path his predecessors had traveled only hours before.

Honestly, Pitch would have taken more notice if he was not being pinned by a _very_ angry she-bear at the time.

"If you _ever_ come near my family again, I'll personally rip your throat out." Ma promised, such steel in her voice that there was no doubt at all that she would do just that when the time came.

Escaping through his shadows, the shade attempted to look unruffled, cursing his own unease.

_What was it about these girls that was so hard to destroy?_

"It's time I left, anyway." He voiced, hiding his quick retreat with a casual air as he disappeared into the gloom.

Birdramon landed behind her partner, her fiery feathers lighting up the dark before the light flashed and they returned to normal.

Dizzy from the sudden energy flux, Ma fell to her knees with a groan, blinking slowly as a little feathered form buzzed up to her face.

"Sweet Tooth?" She slurred, smiling weakly when the little fairy nuzzled up to her face with a happy chirp in response.

"Prema!"

Tooth was a whirlwind of motion, beside herself with worry as she zipped between a bewildered Ma and exhausted Biyomon in search of injuries.

"Are you alright? Did Pitch hurt you? Or Meramon? What's wrong?"

Bleary-eyed and horribly tired, it took a moment for her to catch up with the fairy's rapid speech.

"I'm okay…Just really tired…"

"Oh, right!"

Holding up the last Snow Globe, Tooth gathered girl and Digimon into her arms, coddling the teenager when she yelped at the sudden location change.

"We need to go back to Santoff Claussen! I'll pick up your stuff later!"

Not having the energy to argue, Ma nodded, nuzzling her face into the soft feathers of Tooth's shoulder with a sigh as Biyomon curled into her side.

_Just a little nap couldn't hurt_…

* * *

The Man in the Moon smiled from his place in the sky, watching three lights flare into new brightness.

Once again, Courage, Friendship and Love had thwarted Fear.

_Everything was as it should be_.


	11. Chapter 9

Bee had been the first to realize something was wrong that day.

While the others had gone about having fun, distracting themselves from the absence of their original trio, she sat in a corner with her laptop to check the newsfeeds.

She wanted to be sure no other Digimon made themselves known anywhere in the world, worried at the odds they would have without their three strongest fighters.

While all of them knew how to fight-_except Evie, who was too sick for that kind of exertion most of the time_-, it was no secret that Casey, Kim and Ma were the most skilled.

So, when the first short video hit the web, Bee noticed immediately.

_It was Casey_.

Tentomon buzzed at the sudden shock of panic through the Bond, turning to his partner at the clear surprise in her violet eyes.

"Bea?"

"Th-They're in trouble…" She managed to choke out.

Snapping into action, the brunette scrambled to her feet, laptop held close as she took off into the busy Workshop with Tentomon buzzing behind her.

Dodging between bustling yeti and crowded worktables, she looked around for someone, _anyone_, to convey this critical news to.

"Careful!"

Bee squeaked as she was bodily lifted from behind, instinctively curling into a ball as a herd of elves stampeded below with a miniature Christmas tree and a box of ornaments.

Setting the young teenager down safely on her own two feet, North smiled as Tentomon fussed over his girl in concern.

"Must be careful. Elves are always under-boot."

Noticing her upset, the jolly man frowned in budding worry.

"Something wrong, little one?"

Bee tried to talk, she really did, but her throat closed up-_he's going to get mad and say I'm just being annoying and tell me to shut up_-and the words stuck there like hot barbs, refusing to be voiced.

The longer she was unable to speak, the worse her anxiety became-_now he's going to be upset I'm wasting his time and why can't I just say it?_-, until the girl was in the midst of a snowballing panic attack the likes of which she had not felt for years.

"Whoa there!"

Faye skidded between the two, Gomamon clinging to her hair like a rider might while riding a wild horse bareback.

"Back up a little, big guy! You're making her all nervous!"

North took a step back, guilty that he had made her nervous and not realized, as the multi-colored teenager turned to her younger friend.

With the ease of someone who had dealt with this sort of thing before, she took Bee's face in her hands to force eye contact.

"It's alright, Bumblebee." Faye soothed, voice low and soft. "No one's mad at you. Just breathe for me, okay? Breathe."

Dark purple eyes locked on the older girl's silver pair, Bee took in a deep, shuddering breath to stabilize her haywire system.

As her anxiety decreased, the breaths came in smoother, until Faye decided she was ready to answer questions.

"Now, what's got your hardware in a twist, Bumblebee?"

The words came this time, if a bit roughly.

"I-It's Casey! Sh-She's in tr-trouble!"

Straightening up in surprise, Faye searched the younger girl's face for clues as to what had happened.

"What? But-They just-How?"

Bee presented her laptop screen in explanation, and North shuffled over to get a better view.

"Oh _fudgesicles_…"

"_Chyort voz'mi_…"

At that moment, a rabbit hole opened a few feet away, and Bunny leapt out, weighed down by two human girls and their Digimon partners.

Bee paled at the sight of Casey in the Pooka's arms, mind racing with all of the possibilities.

The redhead was nothing if not stubborn; she had refused help after many a serious injury, from broken bones to dislocated joints, and often dragged herself to the hospital without assistance.

The only time Bee could remember her ever accepting help was after a rough brawl with five older boys, all football players, who had tried to 'persuade' her into some 'fun', and even _then_ she had grumbled the whole way.

True, the boys had not been able to walk away from the encounter either, but that did not stop Bee's returning panic attack.

_What happened? _

_Was she badly hurt? _

_Was she dying?_

Closing her eyes, she started to recite a familiar sequence to calm her racing heart.

"Three point one four one five nine two six five three five eight nine seven nine three two three eight…"

The words were mouthed at best, barely a whisper of a voice, but they helped slow the whirlwind of horrible thoughts and allowed logic to reassert itself.

Casey was not bleeding, or bruised, or nursing a twisted limb; from the way Bunny was holding her, there was no internal damage to ribs or the hips, which left no life-threatening ailments on the list of possibilities.

When she opened her eyes again, Faye was looking at her in concern as North loudly herded Bunny and his precious cargo towards what must have been a med bay of some sort.

"You alright, Bumblebee?"

Worry was reflected in Gomamon's green eyes, and Tentomon leaned into her leg as support.

Taking in a fortifying breath, Bee nodded.

"Y-Yeah…" She whispered, regaining the fragile control over her nerves.

_Honestly, Bee knew she was never 'alright'_.

* * *

No one was allowed in the med bay for hours as the yeti ran test after test on the four girls and their Digimon, and Bee was growing nervous.

They were not badly hurt, surely?

Just exhausted, like they said.

_So why was it taking so long?_

In a bid to distract herself, she went over the blurry video and pictures that a child or reckless teenager had managed to take of the incidents, trying to find a pattern to explain the sudden leap from normal human and Rookie to superhuman and Champion.

A theory was beginning to form, an inkling of what might be the cause, but there was something she needed to know first.

"T-Tento…"

Looking up at the soft whisper of his nickname, the ladybug-like Digimon nuzzled into her side.

"What is it, Bea?"

"Th-The Bond…H-How does it w-work?"

Intrigued by the unexpected question, Tentomon sat up.

"Well, the Bond is a special connection between the souls of a Digimon and their Warrior. Through it, we can share emotions and thoughts, or even meld minds if the Bond is strong enough." He explained. "Most Bonds are formed when Digimon are at the Rookie or Champion level, and deepen with time. When I asked Centarumon, he said that it is because of the understanding between Digimon and Warrior that we become stronger."

Bee stayed silent for a moment, processing this new information and tailoring her theory, before speaking again.

"S-So we sh-share energy…Th-That's how y-you Digivolved to R-Rookie, right T-Tento?"

"Exactly." Tentomon commended, proud to have such a smart partner. "It is the Digimon's job to protect the Warrior, and be taken care of in return. We must be in-tune with each other to do that."

"In-tune…" She mouthed silently, mind racing to put all the pieces together.

Her eyes lit up in wonder as the answer came.

_Maybe, just maybe_…

Everyone in the hallway, spirits and humans and Digimon alike, jumped in surprise when Bee suddenly leapt to her feet, practically vibrating in excitement.

"That's it!" She exclaimed, turning to the congregated audience without her usual crippling shyness. "They Digivolve because of us!"

Blinking away her astonishment, Rocky sat up as Patamon clung to her shoulders like a koala cub.

"What do you mean, Bee?"

"The Bond is a link between us and the Digimon, a conduit for spiritual power." Bee explained, clearly excited. "When we become one in a goal, protecting each other, we unlock the next stage! It's the perfect defense mechanism!"

The four present Guardians shared a look, starting to understand…

"Sounds about right."

All eyes turned to the now-open doorway they had been waiting in front of, and Casey rolled her eyes playfully.

"Gotta admit, it was kinda weird to feel Agu in my head like that, but it wasn't a bad kind of weird."

"It makes sense that we would need to be in agreement with our Digimon in order to fight together properly." Kim noted, leaning on the doorframe in visible boredom.

"We fight pretty well together, and we rarely agree on anything." Casey pointed out jokingly.

The other girl shrugged, noncommittal.

"Whatever."

"Good thinking, Bee!" Ally praised, grinning.

Now that her excitement had ebbed into warm accomplishment, Bee's anxiety reasserted itself, and she seemed to fold into herself self-consciously.

"W-Well, I-I j-j-just…"

"Yes, very good thinking!" North agreed, clapping a hand on her shoulder and nearly sending the brunette sprawling. "Very good!"

Bee squeaked, quickly becoming overwhelmed by all the attention and the sudden physical contact, and Tentomon buzzed nervously at the sudden spike in her anxiety.

"Could you _be_ anymore hands-on?" Casey scolded, pulling the panicking girl out from underneath the Russian's heavy hand. "She needs time to get used to you before you can manhandle her!"

Mumbling an apology, North stepped back once more, and Bee was able to breathe again.

Ashamed of her involuntary reaction, she shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other, taking one of Tentomon's claw-hands in both of hers.

"I-I-I…"

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Bee peeked up shyly through her lashes as her voice came out in a weak whisper.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry…I-I'll tr-try h-h-harder…"

Understanding softened the Russian's face, and he crouched down to her level, apparently oblivious to the shock of the other girls.

"_I_ am sorry, little one. Should not be so rough. We will both try harder, _da_?"

Her eyes brightened from a darker twilight shade to almost violet in wonder and joy, and North smiled as she nodded enthusiastically, too worked up to speak a second time.

Even after all these years, that was all he ever needed.

* * *

Days passed without further incident, with no sudden appearance of Digimon or Pitch anywhere in the world.

Though Bee kept checking the newsfeeds and media sites just in case, she knew there would be nothing.

Pitch had failed three times in one day; he would plan much better before making a fourth attempt, of that she was sure.

Despite these worries, Bee was beginning to truly enjoy her time in Santoff Claussen.

Time had eased her anxiety around the Guardians, though to varying degrees.

They were kind and conscious of her shyness, and while they spent most of their time with others-_Bunny spent an awful lot of his free time with Casey and Evie, and Jack with Kim and Rocky_-, it was not to the detriment of anyone else.

Honestly, Bee found most of her days being spent with the yeti or North, who she had become most comfortable with.

In fact, she was in the middle of assembling toy airplanes-_under Phil's watchful eyes, of course_-when Faye ran by in a fit of hysterical laughter.

_Never a good sign_.

"F-Faye?"

"Bumblebee!" The older girl squealed in joy, latching onto Bee's wrist to tow her along.

"Come on! I've got a great place to watch the action!"

"Wh-What? F-Faye, what did y-you-?"

Chaos broke out as the elves charged, armed with paint-filled water guns and balloons that were soon dyeing any unsuspecting yeti pastel.

"O-Oh dear…"

Gomamon cackled, spurring the little miscreants on as his partner dragged the other girl up onto the next level.

"Go, my minions! Show no mercy!"

Tentomon yelped when the multi-colored teenager was bodily lifted off the railing by the back of her anime t-shirt, hanging like a chastised puppy in front of a likely-unhappy North.

With a sheepish smile, Faye found only one thing to say.

"I surrender?"

* * *

North was beyond frustrated.

His prototype of a flying eagle refused to work properly, and nothing he did so much as made the wings _twitch_.

After hours of futile attempts, the Russian had momentarily abandoned the stubborn toy to angrily munch on the cookies a yeti had brought in.

Unbeknownst to North, Bee had been watching the entire debacle silently from an armchair, a thick tome in hand and Tentomon sitting comfortably on her lap.

When he had turned away from the metal toy, clearly upset, the brunette frowned softly in thought.

Perking up at the sound of rustling behind him, North turned back to the table and nearly dropped his cookie in surprise because _the damn eagle was working_!

A shy little smile appeared on Bee's face as she closed the chest compartment, Tentomon buzzing happily around her head in a show of delight.

"H-How i-is i-it?"

Grinning happily, North ruffled her hair, happy that she only smiled wider in response.

"Is best toy I have ever seen." He assured her, proud. "Would you like to make more?"

* * *

Tentomon loved his partner just as much as any other Digimon, perhaps more.

She was so sweet to him, and smarter than anyone could guess; every thought in her head was like a flash of lightning, and the result was a constant thunderstorm of activity that crackled pleasantly through the Bond.

They spent hours together talking, learning about each others worlds and sharing theories.

Even Tentomon did not know everything about the Digital World, just bits and pieces of bigger things, but he gladly shared them with Bee in order to puzzle out what they might be.

Bee had been most interested in the hieroglyphs he had explained, recreating them with painstaking care on large sheets of paper procured by the yeti Faye had stubbornly named Pookie.

Curled up next to his partner, lulled by the rhythmic clicking of keys on her laptop, Tentomon was glad to have her.

* * *

There was a theory taking shape in the back of Bee's mind, piecing itself together from the bits she was learning from Tentomon, and just the prospect of it made her giddy with excitement.

If the basic building blocks of her world were protons and neutrons and electrons, maybe…

_Maybe it was different in the other_.

Bee spent hours copying the hieroglyphs and scanning them into her computer, fine-tuning a program to run them.

It took a week, the complexity causing minor tangles every now and then, before she was ready to run the program for the first time.

Placing her laptop on the desk, Bee started the set-up as Tentomon buzzed around the empty sitting room to be sure they were truly alone.

When he found no elves hiding in the furniture, the bug Digimon landed next to his partner on the thick rug.

"All clear."

Nodding, Bee took a deep breath…

And started the program.

For a moment, the screen was being filled with lines of code, completely normal…

Bee startled when the lines began to drift out of place, twisting around each other like vines, as the background began to give off a faint glow.

Something crackled through the Bond, like a jolt of electricity straight to the heart, and she gasped at the rush of adrenaline as the glow brightened.

It took a moment for her to realize some of the light was coming from the device attached to her shirt collar.

Violet eyes widened in wonder as a grid appeared through the screen's brightness, taking the shape of an island and zooming out to show a massive continent, an endless ocean…

_An entire world_.

The whole concept was breathtaking.

_It felt like flying_.

"Ah! Hot! _Hot hot hot_!"

Snapped out of her trance, Bee whipped around, startled to see white light and steam pouring out of the cracks in Tentomon's exoskeleton.

"T-Tento?!"

"Turn it off! Turn it off!"

With only a second to mourn the loss of so much untapped knowledge, the brunette shut down the program and was left staring at the desktop once more.

Plucking the device from her shirt, and finding the screen blank, she felt dizzy with the implications.

_Did we almost…?_

A sharp beeping sound distracted her then, and it took a moment before Bee realized what it was.

_The alarm_.

Running up to her main computer, a massive set-up of multiple screens and terminals, she brought up the search details.

She had whipped up a program to search the video and newsfeeds earlier that week to monitor any possible Digimon activity, and it seemed to have paid off.

A blurry image filled one screen, and with a few adjustments, she could make out two figures.

"It's Andromon!" Tentomon realized, buzzing up to her shoulder.

Said Digimon was massive, at least seven feet tall and covered almost completely in metallic armor, towering over his reptilian partner.

The Warrior was still rather tall, maybe six feet, and completely covered in green scales, with a spiked crocodile tail and long snout, a jagged club hanging off his shoulder.

Bee noted some bits of mechanical devices attached to the chest and head, like an advanced pacemaker and computer respectively, that made the two match.

"They're a very peaceful pair." Tentomon informed. "Strong, but they only fight when threatened."

A video came up, slightly grainy but visible, where the two demolished what seemed like a small building.

Bee squeaked in fright, covering her mouth to muffle the sound.

"…It's been a while." Tentomon admitted, clearly intimidated.

The door slammed open behind them, and the pair whirled around to see the original trio stumble in with their Digimon and an assortment of yeti.

"What was that?" Casey shouted, Agumon growling at her side and light flickering from the device at her hip.

"Did something happen?" Kim questioned, scanning the room with sharp eyes as Gabumon bristled nervously beside her.

"Bee!" Ma shouted, rushing forward and pulling the startled brunette into a hug. "Are you alright? What was that sound?"

As the older girl fretted over her like a mother hen, Biyomon hovering over her shoulders in concern, the Guardians filled the doorway.

"What is going on?" North demanded, cutting through the cacophony of the room with his booming voice.

Finally, Bee could be heard over the noise.

"A-A Digimon! A-A Digimon and h-his partner a-are attacking Chicago!"

Tensions in the room mounted, and Sandman turned to usher the other girls down the hall as Casey straightened, taking command.

"What do we know?"

"It's Andromon and Tokage." Tentomon informed them, wings buzzing nervously. "It's so strange…They are normally peaceful."

The video looped, and the new audience cringed at the violent destruction of an innocent automobile.

"Yeah, _real_ peaceful." Jack noted sarcastically, knuckles bleached on his staff.

"Pitch is likely the cause." Kim suggested, expression blank but eyes frigid. "He could have found a way to manipulate their minds, and turn them from their pacifist ways."

"Either way, this is gonna be a rough fight." Casey grumbled. "They're both pretty big, and probably have lots of experience fighting as a pair."

"Not to mention they're likely a lot smarter than Kuwagamon and his partner." Ma agreed, a frown tugging at her mouth in worry.

"This is Pitch we're talkin' about." Bunny reminded them, arms crossed tightly. "Can't take anything at face value with 'im."

Bee watched as ideas flickered across Casey's bright gold eyes, weighing options and judgments.

_She may not have been a genius, but there was no one else better suited to something like this_.

"Ma, you stay here in case of a surprise attack." The redhead decided. "Me and Kim will go take care of this."

"I-I'll go w-with y-you."

All eyes turned to the shy teenager, laptop hugged to her chest and some sort of wireless adaptors clutched in one hand.

"It's too dangerous for you." Tooth fussed, wings buzzing in clear anxiety. "You and Tentomon…"

North agreed whole-heartedly, though he said nothing in opposition.

"I-I have a-an idea." Bee insisted, big purple eyes pleading. "_Please_."

The three other teenagers were silent, sharing a glance, before Casey sighed.

"Alright, alright…But you stay clear of the fighting! I don't care what your plan is!"

Nodding quickly in agreement, Bee took hold of her Digimon's claw-hand and followed everyone out, heart pumping madly with adrenaline.

Taking a Snow Globe from his jacket pocket, North held both sabers in one hand as he herded Casey, Kim, Bee, Bunny and Jack to the Globe Room for a space to open the portal.

"Come, come! There is no time to waste!" He urged, shaking the glass sphere to agitate the magic inside.

Bee watched as it shattered on the wooden floor, opening a vortex of color in the air, wishing she had more time to properly study it before leaping through.

The city beyond was _chaos_.

Cars had been forcefully overturned onto the sidewalks, and streetlamps were twisted out of form by the impact of debris to hang dangerously over the asphalt streets like the branches of a weeping willow.

Gouges were ripped out of the roads like claw marks, and craters filled with sharp scraps of metal dotted the edges like a giant's footsteps.

Covering her mouth to stifle a gasp at the destruction, Bee tightened her grip on Tentomon's claw-hand as Casey whistled lowly.

"_Yeah_, this is bad…"

"Ah, so you have finally decided to join us."

The Guardians were immediately on-guard, weapons raised, as Pitch Black appeared before the group with an air of complete ease.

_Clearly, he was not at all intimidated_.

"Aren't you missing someone?"

"If we had brought Ma, she would have ripped your throat out by now." Kim noted, a spark of aggression in her eyes.

"And I'd rather knock all your teeth out myself." Casey admitted, grin sharp. "I have a _lot_ to get even for."

Pitch's smile was dark, satisfied.

"I don't think you'll have time to try, my dear."

There was a moment of confusion before something crashed behind them.

"Lightning Blade!"

The smaller Digimon reacted quickly, tackling their partners to the ground as the Guardians jumped to either side to avoid the blade of energy that would have sliced them in half.

"Right, forgot about them…" Casey muttered, sitting up with Agumon in her lap. "Kim?"

"We're fine." The black-haired girl replied crisply, steadying Gabumon beside her.

Tokage growled, baring his sharp blade-like teeth as Andromon lowered his arm now that the attack was done.

"You should be careful." Pitch mock-warned, clearly pleased with himself. "They are a rather violent pair."

Andromon's chest compartments opened as if on command.

"Gatling Attack!"

The two missiles took to the air with a screech of rockets, but they were not aimed at Casey or Kim.

_They were aimed at the groups of innocents hiding behind the nearby debris_.

With a curse, silent or spoken, Casey and Kim leapt to their feet as light flooded from the devices at their hips.

"Agu!"

"Gabumon!"

Bee was nearly blinded as she watched the transformation unfold for the first time.

"Agumon, Digivolve to…**Greymon**!"

"Gabumon, Digivolve to…**Garurumon**!"

With a mighty swing of his tail, Greymon smacked one of the explosives off-course, crouching over the terrified humans as it blew up overhead instead.

"Howling Blaster!"

The blue flames caused a premature explosion, Garurumon's steel-furred body shielding the crying children and parents from the force of it.

"Is that all you've got?" Casey challenged, fire sparking to life between her clenched fingers. "Bring it on, you overgrown tin can!"

Tokage slammed into her in a footballer's tackle, and the two bounced across the street with enough force to crack the asphalt.

Pinned under a clearly-upset crocodile man, Casey wheezed a breath into her compressed lungs.

"Okay, you definitely brought it…"

Water wrapped around Tokage's throat like a whip, yanking him off the winded redhead and sending him flying with a roar.

"What have I told you about antagonizing your opponents?" Kim chided, clear liquid hovering around her shoulders as Casey struggled to stand.

"To make sure I can punch their face in first?"

"Exactly."

Bee fumbled with the wireless adaptors in her hand as Bunny and Jack went after Pitch, heart racing as Andromon threw a thrashing Greymon into a small building.

"K-Kim!"

The blue-eyed teenager turned slightly, gaze assessing before she held out a hand to catch the little gadgets.

With the adaptors firmly in her grasp, she faced Tokage, calculating.

Crouching low to avoid a swing from the larger Warrior's club, Kim used the extended arm to flip up over his head one-handed, bringing her other hand down on his head to twist and land on his back feet-first.

With a deft flick of the wrist, one of the plugs was firmly placed in the open circuitry of his head before Kim was forced to retreat from razor-sharp claws.

A fireball distracted the massive crocodile-man from his swifter prey, allowing her to plan her next move against Andromon.

Garurumon snarled as he was grabbed around the throat mid-lunge, claws sparking against unscathed metal as Andromon easily lifted him up and slammed him down onto a car.

Phantom pain spread across Kim's back, and the faint whimper her partner let out had the teenager leaping up to click the USB-like device into an opening in the android's armor plating at the neck.

Andromon reached up to forcibly remove her, but Garurumon would not allow harm to his partner and clamped down on the offending arm with strong jaws.

With those two tag-teaming Andromon, Greymon joined his own partner against Tokage, roaring as he brought down all of his considerable weight on the crocodile Warrior before those teeth could close around Casey's neck.

With a connection established, Bee opened her laptop and sat down cross-legged, trusting her friends to keep the battle far away as she worked.

"What are you doing, little one?" North questioned, sabers raised defensively in case Pitch somehow escaped the other Guardians.

There was a certainty in her bright purple eyes that was new, like every mystery in the universe was unraveling behind them.

"I'm winning."

Ducking and weaving in a traditional boxer's stance, Casey growled as she hammered the heavily-scaled torso with fire-encrusted fists, frustrated that her blows barely scuffed the surface.

"_Go down_, you son of a-"

Tokage snarled, kicking her hard in the gut, and whipped around to grab Greymon's nose-horn as the dinosaur Digimon bore down on him in protective rage.

"Lightning Blade!"

Kim cursed softly as she dropped into the splits and back, just avoiding the deadly blade of light, before spinning her feet up in a hurricane kick that shot out water.

The android did not flinch as the dense blades struck his armor and exposed flesh, completely relentless.

"Howling Blast-!"

Before Garurumon could even properly aim, Greymon was thrown into his side, canceling the attack prematurely as both Digimon tumbled through a nearby building.

Shoving herself off the cracked asphalt, Casey glared up at Tokage defiantly as blood trickled down her chin.

"Okay…Let's try this again…"

The club was raised, spikes deadly-sharp and lethally long, and she raised both arms in a defensive cross-

When he froze.

Not literally, but the large Warrior went still, like he had looked into Medusa's face and been turned to stone.

Blinking slowly, Casey turned to see Andromon was the same, his foot still poised to crush Kim's ribcage as she rolled away.

For a moment, they had no idea what just happened.

The next, both turned to Bee, wide-eyed and smiling and oh so relieved, laptop balanced on her crossed legs and Tentomon buzzing next to her in joy.

North laughed uproariously, clearly impressed, and Casey felt a smile grow on her face.

"_That's_ our genius."

A tired smile drifted across Kim's mouth, a shadow of relief.

"What do we have here? A little mouse?"

Bee startled, holding her laptop close as Pitch's shadow fell over her, North's sabers rising in defense.

Those sickly amber eyes seemed to pierce straight through her, frowning at the setback to his plans.

"I'm afraid I can't allow you to live."

Something on the screen shifted, and wide violet eyes locked on the lines of code as something else broke through from the inside to take over control.

_And there was nothing she could do to stop it_.

"_BLUEY_!"

There was no time for the redhead to react before Tokage smacked her into a lamppost, Andromon wasting no time in literally punting Kim through a storefront window.

"_KAY_!"

Nightmares rose up like smoke, and though some fell to North's blades, the Russian was forced away from the girl he had been trying to protect despite all his efforts.

Scrambling to her feet, laptop pressed protectively to her chest, Bee shrunk in the face of the angry equine-shaped beasts.

"Super Shocker!"

The nearest Nightmare disintegrated under the blast, and Tentomon buzzed angrily around his partner in warning.

"You leave Bea alone! Super Shocker!"

The beasts retreated a few steps, now wary of the electricity building between the Digimon's fast-beating wings.

Bee's heart beat a tattoo against her ribs, and she could almost feel Tentomon's do the same-_can't give up, there's a way out of this, __**I know there is**_-and realized what was happening.

_They were synchronizing_.

Without looking, the brunette brought up the program on her laptop, breathing a prayer as it started up.

Crying out as he barely dodged the club aimed for his head, Tentomon jerked back into his partner as Tokage righted himself, eyes cold and distant.

There was nowhere left to run or hide; Casey and Kim were down, their Digimon likely worse for wear, and while the Guardians would try, they were no match for the android and his crocodile Warrior.

_But there's a solution to every problem, and Bee was going to find it_.

Energy was already crackling across the Bond, and light grew beneath Tentomon's exoskeleton in pulsing waves.

All Bee could feel was _I won't let anyone hurt you trust me __**I know we can do this**_…

**And she believed it**.

Light erupted around them, and Pitch very nearly face-palmed in frustration.

_Every single time_…

"Tentomon, Digivolve to…**Kabuterimon**!"

Tokage was thrown back by the massive bug Digimon's take-off, tumbling head-over-heels and skidding to a halt beside his own partner a few meters away.

With a deep breath, Bee looked up, a darker purple glowing in her eyes as various damaged vehicles lifted up from the ground without physical effort.

"Stop."

With a roar, the crocodile-man charged, weapon pulled back for a heavy stroke-

The club was stopped in midair with a thought, and Bee tossed her attacker away with another.

_Telekinesis_.

It was as fitting as Casey's flames or Ma's control over the air.

"Lightning Blade!"

Kabuterimon evaded the attack deftly, swooping down in a dive that very nearly crushed Andromon had the smaller Digimon not diverted it.

Seeing this, Bee floated up into the air to avoid most of the Nightmares, mind racing.

Something had reconfigured their programming _from the inside_…

Sparks, like from damaged wiring, flared to life around Andromon's organic leg.

_It was their only chance_.

"Kabuterimon!"

There was no need for explanation as he regained altitude, taking aim at the exposed flesh as Bee caught Tokage mid-lunge.

"Electro Shocker!"

The massive ball of electricity seemed to be absorbed into Andromon's leg, and the assembled group watched in amazement as a large black _gear_ phased out the other side, shattering into atoms on contact with the ground.

Almost immediately, Andromon and his partner shut down.

"It seems I'll have to take care of you myself."

Bee whipped around at the sound of disembodied hoof beats, spinning away to avoid being rammed into by a charging Nightmare.

Catching herself scant feet from the ground-_and a wickedly sharp pile of debris_-, the brunette turned to face Pitch with a frown.

"You've already lost." She pointed out quietly, voice firm in certainty. "You're outmatched."

"Outnumbered, perhaps." He consented, frowning at the assembled Guardians. "But never outmatched."

A spear of dark sand tore through the air-

Straight at North.

"NO!"

The projectile shattered against Kabuterimon's tough exoskeleton, and Pitch gasped as he was telekinetically lifted off the ground and thrown against a nearby building.

The purple glow in Bee's eyes was much brighter now, and debris began to float off the ground all along the street.

Pitch scowled.

_You should never piss off the quiet ones_.

"Next time, then."

He disappeared into the nearby shadows before a boomerang could take his head off, and Bunny cursed as he caught the weapon on it's way back.

When no attack came for a minute after, Bee allowed herself to relax, the fierceness on her face smoothing into concern.

"C-Casey? K-Kim?"

"I'm okay…" Casey assured, shoving the lamppost off her chest with some effort.

"No real harm done." Kim agreed, brushing glass shards off her shoulder even as she stumbled back onto the sidewalk.

With a concentrated thought, the brick and metal covering their Digimon was lifted up, allowing Greymon and Garurumon to stumble onto clear ground with groans of pain.

"You alright, big guy?" Casey wondered, patting one of her partner's sturdy legs.

"I'll live." He grumbled back, shaking dust from his horned helmet.

Garurumon growled happily as Kim scratched behind his ear, expression softening in what might have been relief as he collapsed into a sprawl that made Jack laugh aloud.

A happy little smile took root on Bee's face, and she pat Kabuterimon's helmeted head with a breathless giggle.

"W-We did it." She whispered, voice shaking with adrenaline.

"Never doubted it for a moment." The large bug Digimon assured, nudging her palm gently.

"Holy-!"

It seemed Andromon and Tokage were waking up, or rebooting more likely, and Casey was already on the defensive, fire bursting to life around her fists.

"W-Wait!" Bee pleaded, dropping down between her battle-ready friends and the still-disoriented crocodile warrior on the pavement. "I-It was th-that gear that m-made them violent! I-I'm sure they're f-fine n-now!"

While the two Warriors slowly lowered their elemental weapons, North was not so easily convinced, sabers raised defensively as he warily approached.

"A-Are you alright now?" Bee wondered, voice soft.

"We are…fully functional." He replied haltingly, gears whirring audibly to catch up.

"Did we cause all of this?" Andromon wondered, levering himself up with some difficulty.

"Yes." Kim answered, eyeing the pair for signs of deceit as Jack stepped to her side, staff held tightly in one hand.

"We did not…" Tokage started, scanning the area with sorrow obvious in his eyes. "We are deeply sorry. That Black Gear…It overrode our programming, and we could not stop ourselves."

Relaxing as the pair made no sign of aggression, North grinned.

"Is fine, now that gear is out!"

"Is there anyway to get back to the Digital World?" Tokage wondered, standing.

"W-We don't kn-know of one." Bee answered apologetically, Kabuterimon a warm, safe presence through the Bond.

"We will find one, then." Andromon stated, rolling his shoulders to make sure the joints were undamaged.

The thought that they would be stranded in a strange world, all alone, until they could return made Bee feel guilty, and she turned to North with a beseeching look.

Despite Bunny and Jack gesturing wildly behind her, clearly not liking the thought, North could not say no to those big purple eyes when they pleaded with him so.

"There is plenty of space at North Pole!" The Russian assured, patting Tokage on the back hard enough to make him stumble. "You are welcome to stay! I insist!"

"Well…" The crocodile-man started, sharing a look with his Digimon. "If you insist."

Bee smiled, pleased, as the evolution slowly reversed and she fell back on her rump with a tired sigh.

Tentomon landed against her side, obviously exhausted, and she leaned into him as North scooped both up.

_It had been a good day after all_.

* * *

The Man in the Moon smiled as he heard the news, moonbeams dancing through the streets in laughter.

Pitch had surely thought he would win, but he had once again underestimated the girls chosen.

_After all, Knowledge is a powerful thing_.


	12. Chapter 10

**And I'm back! Apparently, my muse just wanted to remind me that this story needs some updating. Unfortunately, this means 'Rise of the Guardians: Lost Souls' is still on hiatus, but I can only work on one story at a time, and 'Digimon Adventures and Guardian Belief' needs some loving!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Ally was a lot of things, but _stupid_ was not one of them.

Sure, she was not as mature or book-smart as the others, but she knew as well as anyone the kind of danger they were in.

Dwelling on that would do no good, so the blonde went about as she normally did, aware of the threat and dutifully ignoring it.

After all, she was in Santa's Workshop!

There was no time to worry when there were so many things to explore!

Humming a happy little tune, skipping along to the beat and smiling as Palmon followed her lead with a giggle, Ally was in search of some sweets.

The elves always seemed to get there first, and while she enjoyed watching them get into mischief, touching their saliva was not on her To Do list.

Peeking into the kitchen to see if there were any fresh cookies left, she lit up at the sight of a familiar spirit trying to swipe some more eggnog from the grumbling yeti.

"Sandy!"

The dream-weaver turned at the call of his name, smiling as he realized who it was and abandoning his quest to ask-_after a fashion_-what she was up to.

"Oh, just looking for some cookies." Ally replied cheerily, hopping inside in a flutter of skirts.

It had felt like a sunny day, so she had worn a long, grass-colored skirt with a darker wrap edged in gold disks that sang against each other as she moved.

Matched with a white blouse, gold bangles, flower-patterned flats and a wide sunhat, Ally looked more ready for a nice spring afternoon than a day at the North Pole.

"Cookies!" Palmon squealed, rushing over to a platter of the confections left unattended on the counter before an elf could get there first.

Squeaking in joy, Ally hopped over to take one for herself, happily nibbling on the edge.

Laughing silently at her antics, Sandy floated over with a softer smile on his face, pictures appearing over his head in dream-sand.

"I'm having _lots_ of fun!" Ally assured him, beaming. "But I've missed you! I know you have to go and give dreams, but I love talking with you when you're here."

Sandy would not deny the happy little flutter in his chest at her words, and easily swiped some eggnog before silently asking if she had time now.

Oh, how she lit up with unadulterated _joy_ at the thought, the feeling so strong it filled Palmon to the brim.

"Of course I do!" The blonde gushed.

Grabbing his free hand, she began towing the golden spirit along, Palmon toddling behind while still munching on cookies.

Content to be led, Sandy sipped on his eggnog to hide the far-too-pleased smile on his face.

* * *

The two had met long before Ally had first Bonded with her Digimon.

Sandy had been on his usual rounds, spreading good dreams, when he had noticed one child was having nightmares more often than was healthy.

Concerned that Pitch was to blame, and possibly making another move against the Guardians, he had gone to check_. _

He had not expected a little girl, wide awake and trembling in her bed, when he arrived.

Those eyes had been hazy, without a spark of life and laughter, and so very empty it frightened the dream-giver.

_No child should ever look like that_.

So, against every guideline and barrier that had ever been made amongst the Guardians, Sandy went inside.

When she _saw_ him, her eyes clearing into the bright green he comes to know, his heart fluttered.

_There are never any regrets_.

* * *

If there is one thing Ally loves to do, it's sing.

She hums and whistles and sings as she goes, skipping to the beat of whatever song is caught in her head until it's gone.

Palmon enjoys those times when her voice rises up over the hustle and bustle of the yeti, soft and high and clear, with sweet notes and often sweeter words.

The music swells through the Bond, waves of joy and love and deep understanding that have the plant-like Digimon humming along in return.

Stretched beside her partner, soaking in her warmth like a flower would sunlight, Palmon smiled at the soft words that slipped past Ally's lips as she dozed.

"If everything comes down to love, then just what am I afraid of? When I call out your name, something inside awakes in my soul…How quickly I forget I'm yours."

The feelings were almost a tangible thing, pure and sweet, and Palmon curled into her Warrior's side with a content sigh as she continued.

"I'm not on my own…I've been carried by you all my life…"

Ally yawned as golden sand twined around her head, the verses slowing as they left her mouth.

"Everything rides on hope now…Everything rides on faith somehow…When the world has broken me down…"

Vision clouding with sleep, Palmon blinked as Sandman floated up to the couch, smiling as the last words were breathed out before two little humanoid figures appeared over Ally's head in an embrace.

"Your love sets me free…"

* * *

The thing Sandy loves most about Ally-_and he was not shy about admitting that fact, even when his fellow Guardians tried to tease_-was that she was never anything but herself.

There were no attempts to hide her emotions, or change them; they were what they were, and she was alright with that.

"Sandy!"

Yanking his cup of eggnog away from a sneaky elf, the dream-giver smiled as Ally approached, wearing a pair of jean shorts and a green t-shirt with a cartoon honeybee that said 'Don't Worry, BEE Happy' on the chest.

Clearly excited, she hopped up and pulled him into a hug, which Sandy was quite happy with.

_After all, pressing into his crush's soft bosom was rather nice_.

"It's been so _boring_ here without you!" Ally complained, pouting cutely. "What took so long?"

Sandy had never been so happy to be mute, as he did not have to lift his face from between her soft breasts to reply.

Giggling at the little pictures that appeared, dream-sand tickling her chin from the close proximity, Ally twirled around as Palmon ran up in mirrored joy.

"Hi, Sandy!"

Still _extremely_ distracted, the golden spirit waved.

"Hey, Sandy! Having fun?" Jack teased, chuckling at the rather rude symbols that answered him.

Rocky looked up at the apparently-smothered dream spirit with mild concern and great curiosity.

"Can he breathe?"

"I'm sure breathing has gone down on his priority list for the moment." Kim noted, eyebrow rising when Ally, suddenly realizing that breathing might be difficult between her breasts, squeaked as she pulled Sandy free and looked him over in panicked concern.

"Oh my God, are you alright? I didn't suffocate you, did I? I'm so sorry!"

While sad to have been suddenly vacated from his spot, Sandy smiled and assured the poor girl that he was fine.

"Not so great now though, huh?" Jack pointed out, smirking.

Even Rocky knew some of those symbols were rather bad, and Patamon covered her eyes with his front legs while covering his own with bat-like wings.

Jack only laughed as Kim shook her head at his immaturity, pinching his ear between thumb and forefinger.

"Ow!"

The winter spirit flailed comically as he was yanked down by the abused cartilage, and now it was Sandy's turn to laugh.

"Behave yourself." She chided, pulling the white-haired spirit behind her as she turned to leave.

"Ow ow _ow_!" Jack whined, bent into an awkward position to avoid getting his ear ripped off. "Okay, I'm _sorry_! OW! Just let go!"

Feeling vindicated-_and already planning ways to get back at Jack anyway_-, Sandy turned back to Ally with a smile.

_Now if only he could get another hug_…

* * *

Shifting nervously from side to side, Ally peered up through her lashes and bit softly on her lower lip.

Sandy gulped soundlessly, naughty thoughts creeping into his mind at the sight.

"I just thought, maybe…if you didn't mind…Me and Pal could go with you? Watch you work?"

It took a few moments for Sandy to shake off his fantasies enough to process her words, but he agreed enthusiastically all the same.

Her eyes lit up, that bright green he loved so much, and the dream-giver was pulled into another animated hug.

Snuggling into the soft flesh, he sighed happily.

_Totally worth it_.

* * *

Dream-sand seems almost weightless, grains of gold suspended in the air like smoke, but when Ally pressed her hand down on the cloud, it held, giving in slightly like a soft cushion.

Curious and excited, she scrambled on like a young child might scale a plush armchair, settling Indian-style in the middle.

Palmon hopped, the pink petals on her head barely becoming visible over the edge, and Ally giggled.

Leaning over, she caught the Digimon around the middle and hefted her up, falling back at the sudden loss of equilibrium as both squealed in surprise.

Laughing silently, Sandy floated up to join them, symbols appearing over his head warning them to hold on tight as the cloud rose up from the ground.

Righting herself, with Palmon on her lap, Ally watched the scenery pass by in awe.

Bunny had lent them a tunnel to somewhere warmer, since Sandy had worried the subzero temperatures outside of Santoff Claussen would harm Ally and her plant-like Digimon, and Miami disappeared before her eyes to be replaced by open sky.

Once the cloud reached an appropriate height, Sandy slowed to a gentle stop, smiling at the wonder on her face as both Warrior and Digimon took in the sight.

Slowly, tendrils of dream-sand were coaxed into the open air, twisting and turning as they descended to earth.

Fingertips brushed one as it twirled by, and golden flowers bloomed with beautiful bell tones, shining light on the girl's face.

Bright green meets darker orange, as if every dream in the whole world suddenly came true.

"It's beautiful…"

Sandy nods, just as awed by her as she is by his dreams.

Tipping up the brim of her cowgirl hat, the worn leather familiar against his skin, he took in her features for a long moment before starting to lean in.

Palmon was still, the Bond thrumming with disbelief and joy and _please don't be a dream, please be real, __**please please please**_…

The moment shattered with the angry brays of Nightmares.

Caught by surprise, the two jerked apart, looking down to see a few of the dark creatures spreading through the city in search of dreams to corrupt.

Suddenly serious, Sandy motioned for her to stay before taking off after the rogue Nightmares, intent on purifying them quickly.

Peering over the edge as he disappeared from sight, Ally shared a glance with Palmon, the same worry shining in her eyes.

_What were Nightmares doing here?_

Pitch had been keeping low, not even sending out his Nightmares where they could be easily found, and now this?

There was an unease in the atmosphere now, like the children's disturbed dreams were vibrating a cry through the air, and it made Ally's heart tremble.

Palmon felt the shudder through the Bond, and leaned into her in a show of support.

"Little child, be not afraid…"

Ally's voice floated through the air, breaking through the troubled aura created by the Nightmares.

"Though rain pounds harshly against the glass like an unwanted stranger, there is no danger, I am here tonight…"

The dream-sand pulsed, sensing the worry and comfort.

"Little child, be not afraid…Though thunder explodes and lightning flash illuminates your tear-stained face, I am here tonight."

Sandy paused once the last Nightmare had been dealt with, a tingling spreading through him from his connection to the dream-sand.

"And someday you'll know that nature is so. The same rain that draws you near me falls on rivers and lands, on forests and sands, makes the beautiful world that you'll see in the morning…"

Floating skyward, the dream-giver watched the tendrils pulse, sending waves of comfort and care to the children still troubled by the remnants of nightmares.

"Little child, be not afraid, though storm clouds mask your beloved moon and its candlelight beams, still keep pleasant dreams…I am here tonight…"

The dreams had settled into their normal patterns by the time Sandy returned, listening with rapt attention as her eyes locked on him.

"But I'll still be here in the morning…"

* * *

The rest of the Western Hemisphere went by smoothly, free of Nightmares and shadows with hell-fire eyes.

Ally tried to stay awake and enjoy it, but the dream-sand lulled her to sleep somewhere over Brazil.

Once he had finished, and night began it's journey over the ocean, Sandy went in search of a rabbit hole to return the pair to Santoff Claussen.

Blinking some of the golden grains from her lashes, Ally rolled onto one side, holding Palmon to her chest like a teddy bear as the Digimon fought wakefulness and tried to drag her partner back under.

"Sandy?" She mumbled, eyelids already growing heavy and threatening to fall.

The cloud shifted beneath her body, forming a soft bed that any hard-working soul would have killed for, and the girl sighed as her entire body relaxed.

"But I'm not _sleepy_…" Ally argued, words slurring from her heavy tongue.

Chuckling silently at the blatant lie, the dream-giver lowered the cloud into Bunny's tunnels, aiming for North's Workshop as he weaved through the twisting passageways.

As they neared the North Pole, however, Palmon stirred, a sense of danger pricking at her instincts.

Ally jerked at the sudden shift from forceful sleep to alertness, eyes clearing as Palmon sat up, gaze narrowed straight ahead.

Dream-sand appeared over Sandy's head as he turned to them, asking what was wrong.

"Something's not right…" The Digimon admitted, the flower on her head spreading it's petals as if to absorb more information.

The cloud slowed, and Ally fidgeted at the sense of foreboding trickling in through the Bond.

Orange eyes studied the tense Digimon for a few moments, and Sandy frowned.

Digimon had a heightened sense of danger-_likely from the precarious lives they lived in the Digital World_-, and ignoring such a clear sign of unease would be foolish.

Signaling the pair to stay down, the former wishing star brought them to the entrance more slowly, dimming the light of his dream-sand to keep from being easily spotted.

No sound echoed down the tunnel, and the eerie silence put Ally on-edge, heart beginning to race.

Had something happened at the Workshop?

Were the others alright?

What if something had happened to them?

_Oh, if any of them were hurt_-

Palmon's grip on her waist tightened, anchoring her back in reality before hyperventilation could set in as they rose up in one of the Workshop's back rooms.

Sliding carefully onto the hardwood floor, the slight heels of her leather cowgirl boots clicked softly as she set Palmon down.

Brushing remnants of sand from her jeans and green blouse, Ally straightened her old cowgirl hat out of habit as Sandy floated up to the door, ear pressing against the wood.

Normally, the hustle and bustle of the yeti-_and the mischievous pranks of the elves_-were clear through every door and wall of the fortress, a constant hum of activity that quickly became background noise.

It's absence was jarring for Ally, who took hold of Palmon's hand as they inched closer.

_Silence had rarely meant anything good in her life_.

"Sandy?" She whispered, the foreboding blooming into dread.

Frown deepening, the dream spirit motioned for them to stay close as he slowly opened the door.

The hallway was empty, tables overturned and toys scattered haphazardly about, with only the Globe still turning in the center.

_Where was everyone?_

Stepping out carefully, Ally looked around, a frown pulling on her mouth for the first time as the silence began to spread fear through her veins.

"Sandy…"

"ALLY!"

Palmon tackled her from behind, both hitting the ground seconds before a Nightmare lunged, missing them by scant inches.

A whip snapped out, shattering the equine construct and purifying the tainted grains within moments.

Heart sputtering with adrenaline, Ally levered herself up with a gasp.

Hanging from the vaulted ceiling were three cages made of nightmare-sand; one held the seven other girls, half-asleep and dazed, and another four-_rather battered_-Guardians.

The last likely held the Digimon, as well as Andromon and Tokage, though no one could have been able to tell from the outside, since the walls were solid instead of bars.

"Oh no…"

"And who is this? A straggler?"

With a yelp, Ally whipped around, back slamming into the railing as Palmon leapt to her defense.

Pitch smirked, clearly amused, before smoothly side-stepping to avoid the painful crack of Sandy's whips.

"No need to be so hostile, Sandman." The shade chided. "I was only wondering."

The little gold man scowled threateningly as he moved between the pair and Pitch, not taking any chances.

_Given half an opportunity, the Nightmare King would not hesitate to get rid of her_.

Regaining control of her nerves-_and becoming too angry to be scared_-, Ally straightened, hands on her hips in feminine irritation.

"You let my friends go _right now_!" She ordered, unaware that her rising spirits were bolstering Palmon as well.

Pitch laughed, not at all threatened.

After all, Ally was not a very threatening person; while she was taller than Casey, she had none of the fierceness, or the build of someone trained to fight.

_Pitch seemed to have forgotten that Ma hadn't, either_.

"And what will you do if I don't?" He challenged, at ease. "Throw a tantrum?"

Casey groaned, already shifting to cover Evie's ears as Kim muttered in annoyance.

"You shouldn't have said that…"

Palmon puffed up at the insult, whatever fear that had trickled through the Bond being overwhelmed by a firm determination.

"You want a tantrum?" Ally voiced, completely serious. "Then I'll give you a tantrum!"

To all the spirits' surprise, it was Palmon who lashed out instead of Ally.

"Poison Ivy!"

Jumping to avoid the six dangerous vines, Pitch very nearly lost his head from the full-body kick Ally struck with a moment after.

Her heavy boots struck a Nightmare full in the chest instead, and the beast shattered on impact, the grains turning gold at the touch of her skin.

Rolling to regain her footing, she struck out with both legs at the Nightmares that charged, destroying them with the pent-up momentum.

Sandy watched in amazement.

_Damn, she was flexible_…

Nightmares flooded the hallway, and though he would have liked to watch more, Sandy knew it was time to fight.

Lashing out with both whips, the dream spirit whirled around to make sure Palmon was alright-

And ducked under the spray of a destroyed Nightmare.

"Poison Ivy!"

_He figured she was just fine_.

Ally was spinning and rolling and dancing through the angry Nightmares, the built-up momentum in her kicks enough to shatter heads and legs with ease.

It was Faye that noticed the approaching danger first, her hyperactive energy finally proving useful as she shot up.

"Al! Giant teddy bear incoming!"

The blonde paused, nose scrunching up in confusion.

"_Giant teddy bear_?"

She yelped as red laser beams exploded on the floor inches from her head, twisting away and landing in a three-point crouch.

Standing a few yards down the curved hallway was a giant yellow teddy bear with glowing red eyes, a hulking man with claws like a bear and the teeth to match growling at his side.

"Oh…_That_ giant teddy bear…"

"It's Monzaemon and Kuma!" Palmon realized, jumping to her partner's side. "What are they doing here?"

Monzaemon's eyes glowed red, and Ally squeaked, hauling her Digimon away before the red lasers exploded on the wooden floorboards they had been standing on.

"Who cares? _Run_!"

Kuma roared, giving chase at a much slower pace than Ally was currently capable of, but steadily gaining speed.

Yelping as she pushed off a wall, barely avoiding a sharp set of claws, the blonde rolled as she hit the floor with Palmon tucked safely against her chest.

Skidding on her back, Ally forced herself to roll away before a massive foot caved her head in.

"Poison Ivy!"

Growling at the vines that wrapped around his arm, Kuma tugged harshly, swinging Palmon over his head and almost clear over the railing.

"_Pal_!"

The blonde gasped as she was slammed into a wall, a forearm pressing against her throat and cutting off any possible air.

Choking on whatever sound was trying to escape, the teenager tried to pull the arm away, growing desperate the longer she went without oxygen.

"Ally!" Palmon shrieked, running to her partner's aid before Monzaemon's foot knocked her over and held her down. "_Ally_!"

Mind darkening, the blonde felt her heartbeat slow in her ears, like a half-forgotten drumbeat.

The world seemed so far away; the vibrant pink of Palmon's flower, the gold of dream-sand, the black abyss of Kuma's eyes…

A tear slipped down her cheek, mixing with the dream-sand lingering there.

_**All she wanted was to protect them**_.

That one thought echoed loudly through the Bond, answering tears sprouting in Palmon's eyes as she reached back.

_**She just wanted to protect Ally**_.

As if reacting to their deepest wishes, the Digivice glowed and enveloped both in white light, blinding the dream-spirit who had been trying in vain to remove the bear-man from her throat.

"Palmon, Digivolve to…**Togemon**!"

Monzaemon was thrown clear off his feet from the sudden size-change of his opponent, and the massive cactus-Digimon rose to her feet with a shrug.

Kuma's eyes widened as roots wrapped around his arms, shoving him back and whipping him into the floor with a deafening crash.

A vibrant shade of green overlaid the usual color as Ally stood, catching her breath as the wood behind her creaked, returning to life and growing thick branches.

Everyone just stared in surprise, their desperate attempts at escape halted at this new turn of events, as Ally stared down her opponent with intense green-on-green eyes.

"I may be a lady, _**but I'm not a pushover**_."

Well, if Sandy had not been totally head-over-heels before, he sure was now.

Monzaemon growled as he stood, facing Togemon with a scowl on his would-be-adorable face.

"You wanna dance with me?" Togemon challenged, slamming her boxing gloves together in an aggressive manner. "Bring it on, big boy!"

Her fist slammed into the large teddy bear's face, causing him to stumble back from the force as Nightmares scrambled to avoid being stepped on.

With a snarl, Monzaemon charged back into the fray, trading thunderous blows that made the walls tremble.

Jack, watching the whole thing from above, turned towards his fellow Guardians.

"I gotta admit, watching a giant cactus with boxing gloves beat up a giant teddy bear is the weirdest thing I've seen in a while."

_Well, no one could really argue with that_…

The floorboards cracked open, sprouting roots, spiraling around Ally's body and snapping out like tentacles to destroy any Nightmares that tried to charge.

Roaring, Kuma tore away from the dream-spirits grasp and bore down on the defensive column of dangerous plant-life with raking claws.

A space formed between the sturdy roots-

And Ally's foot shot out, slamming into the bear-man's nose with an audible CRACK that sent him stumbling back with a fresh spurt of blood.

Pitch, cursing the fact that his plan was once again falling through-_for the fifth time in a row!_-, created more Nightmares in a bid to overpower the pair.

Turning on the dark constructs with a new fury, Sandy's whips lashed out in all directions, sprays of sand in ebony and gold filling the air like mist.

In a rage, blood dripping down his face, Kuma tore at the vegetation constantly growing around the female spirit with wild abandon.

Oh, but the trees that had been used to build Santoff Claussen were a sturdy tundra breed, enchanted with magic to weather any storms the Arctic could conjure, and were not to be thwarted.

Wrapping around the man's ankle, a root snapped him into the ceiling and slammed him back down, obviously winding him.

Just as he moved to get up, the action was repeated, wood cracking under the force.

Winding up, Togemon landed a wicked right-hook on Monzaemon's face, readying herself for the final blow.

"Take this! Needle Spray!"

The wickedly-sharp needles penetrated his thin pelt by the dozens, embedding themselves into the floor or pillars when missing their target.

Digimon and Warrior alike cried out as a Black Gear tore through the zipper on Monzaemon's back, shattering on the wood like glass and dissolving into the air.

Both passed out, either from the pain or the gear's removal no one could say, and the Nightmare King was about to pitch a fit.

He had been _so close_ to victory, literally _seconds_ away from being rid of the only threats to his rule…

With a happy little giggle, Ally skipped over to Togemon's side, hopping light as a leaf onto the railing.

"We did it!"

All of the girls let out sighs of relief, so very glad that she was alright and that this whole ordeal was over-

Ma's heart caught in her throat as Pitch materialized behind the blonde teenager, a dark scythe raised in preparation to strike.

Everyone's voices rang out at once.

"_**ALLY**_!"

Even Togemon jerked around, the needles covering her body rising like a cat's hackles as Ally gasped, green eyes wide in surprise and terror-

A golden whip snapped around the dark spirit's wrists, yanking him back and sending the man flying down the hall into a wall.

Sandy had never been so angry, expression thunderous as the Nightmares were purified by his aura alone.

_Pitch would never strike her down like that if he had anything to do about it_.

Oh, but Pitch had learned his lesson, disappearing from Santoff Claussen as quickly and soundlessly as he had entered an hour or two before.

Huffing, the dream-giver crossed his arms, rage calming to a simmering protectiveness now that the threat was gone.

The cages overhead turned gold, slowly lowering to the ground with a thought as whatever nightmares the Digimon had been caught in dispelled.

Smiling sweetly, Ally planted a kiss on the unsuspected spirit's cheek in thanks.

"My hero." She teased softly.

With a love-sick grin on his face, the dream-sand created little hearts around him without permission, but he thought...

A happy little giggle escaped her, and her next kiss landed on Sandy's mouth.

"I love you too, Sandy."

* * *

The Man in the Moon laughed, shining brightly as he looked down upon his Guardians and the girls chosen as the Earth's protectors.

Fear had been pushed back by a Sincere desire to protect, and there was no stronger defense than that.


	13. Chapter 11

There were many words to describe Faye.

'Eccentric' just happened to be the nicest and most accepted.

As Casey often pointed out, the older girl had the attention span of a rabid squirrel on crack that thinks everything is an acorn, and no one could honestly dispute that.

Even North, who had dealt with the elves on a regular basis for centuries, found himself at a loss.

Faye was just so spontaneous and quick that trying to stay a step ahead was nearly impossible, let alone trying to figure out what she was planning.

Angry yells and grunts from the yeti erupted from the lower levels, and North face-palmed with a gusty sigh.

_Speak of the devil_…

* * *

Humming a bright little discordant tune under her breath, Faye hopped and skipped and spun around the room, little Gomamon perched securely on her head as always.

The lights on the Globe shone in her multi-colored hair, brightening the warm and cool colors in turns, a beacon to anyone who was looking.

Silver eyes flashed as they studied murals and bookcases and furniture, taking it all in and storing the information somewhere no one could see.

Hopping to a stop in front of a massive armchair, Faye stared at it for a moment, wondering…

Entering the Globe Room, North muttered in Russian as he studied some of the papers in his hands, stepping up to a bookshelf.

He needed to double-check some things, make sure the specifications for the newest toys were just right and no errors had been made with the newest batch of Snow Globes-

A snore cut through the old bandit's thoughts, and he jerked around in surprise.

Faye was sprawled on his favorite armchair, legs thrown over one arm and a tome lying open against her thighs, head back and snoring like a chainsaw.

Chuckling softly, North moved closer, reading the spine with curiosity.

'Medical Properties of Flora in North America'

Intrigued by the choice, the Russian smiled, grabbing a thick rug from the back of a nearby couch to throw over the pair.

Lifting his head from the crook of her neck, coarse orange hair rubbing just under her chin and tickling Faye into snorting giggles, Gomamon blinked up at him with big green eyes from underneath the dyed red wool.

Gently as possible, he pet the Digimon's head, scratching behind the ribbon-like ears and mussing his short hair.

Purring softly, he arched into the touch and yawned, settling back down against his Warrior's throat.

Marking her place with a ribbon and placing the tome on a side table, North leaned back, studying the pair affectionately.

_Perhaps they were not so bad, after all_…

* * *

With a smile the Cheshire Cat would have been proud of, Faye peered around the corner to check that the nearby yeti were still busily working before turning back to the assembled elves.

Gomamon, a matching smile on his face, leaned forward from his secure perch on her multi-colored head.

"Alright, you guys remember what we taught you?"

The little creatures nodded enthusiastically, the bells on their hats jingling against each other merrily.

"Then go, my minions! Spread the word!" Faye ordered happily, jumping aside as the army of elves stampeded into the Workshop proper.

"Poop!"

"Shit!"

"Hell!"

"Stupid!"

"Bastard!"

The pair cackled, taking off at the resulting chaos and the thundering shout that came from a certain Russian spirit.

"_**FAYE**_!"

* * *

"Bumblebee?"

The brunette hardly stirred at her nickname, head tilting as she typed away on her laptop.

"Hm?"

"What makes colors?" Faye wondered, leaning back-to-back with the busily-typing teenager and staring up at the ceiling.

"Color is the visual perceptual property in humans in categories, like red or blue." Bee answered softly, not once breaking stride with the programs she was tweaking as Tentomon leaned into her side. "They derive from the spectrum of light interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors."

Silver eyes warm and half-closed with satisfaction, Faye pet down her Digimon's back, smiling as he arched up with a lazy yawn.

"Really? How's that work?"

As the younger girl's voice encompassed them, a steady beat of clicking keys matching her words, North watched fondly from the doorway.

He had never seen Faye so calm and relaxed, almost languid, that nearly manic shine gone from her eyes…

_They were good for each other_.

* * *

"Hey, big guy!"

North jolted, almost fumbling the icy sculpture in his hands as Faye popped up at his side, Gomamon smiling up at him from his permanent spot on her head.

"Whatcha doin'?"

Letting out a relieved breath at the lack of damage to his current project, the Russian set it down gingerly.

"Am working on new toy!" North replied, boisterous as ever. "What do you think?"

Faye turned slightly to study the prototype, a four-foot-tall Tyrannosaurus Rex that started to move on it's own, letting out a silent roar.

"Cool!" She squealed, hopping around to look from a different angle. "What does it do? Can you make it breathe smoke? Oh, or maybe bubbles! Bubbles are fun!"

A happy twinkle sparked in his eyes at all of the new ideas, and North laughed, dropping a heavy arm on her shoulders.

"All very good designs! Would you like to help?"

Something flashed through her eyes, a mixture of surprise and maybe a little bit of sad hope, before Faye grinned.

"Sure! Where do I start?"

* * *

Gomamon could admit that, maybe, they were a bad influence on each other most of the time.

Whenever Faye came up with an idea, all manic grins and restless bouncing, he could not help but go along.

It was a compulsion, a deep-seated tug through the Bond, that could not be ignored.

But while those times were fun…

When she was content to be still, that burning need to move and be seen momentarily sated, _that was when Gomamon felt warm_.

* * *

In some aspects, Faye knew that she was obsessive.

She craved attention, acceptance, like a strangled man would air; she needed to move, or play, or just _be_ around someone, because being alone?

It drove her absolutely nuts, more than she already was.

Faye knew she was a little off, could admit that to herself, but they were still her friends, right?

Casey and Kim and Ma, who had been the first people to accept her; Rocky and Evie, who had always enjoyed her sense of humor even when no one else did; Ally, who sometimes joined in with all of her considerable enthusiasm; Bee, who had never shied away…

They were _hers_.

_Her_ friends, _her_ family, _her_ responsibility.

If Pitch wanted to take that away, he had another thing coming!

"Faye!"

Blinking away her thoughts, said teenager unclenched her fists, staring down at the bleeding crescents left in the palms with disinterest.

"Sorry, Goma-Goma." She apologized, managing a smile to reassure the distraught Digimon. "Got lost in thought."

"Apparently, that's dangerous for your health…" Gomamon replied, climbing onto her lap and licking her damaged palms clean.

His rough tongue sent little jolts of pain up her fingers, and Faye giggled.

"Very. Didn't mean to scare you."

"Didn't scare me…" He grumbled, moving to her other hand to continue cleaning up the blood. "Just wasn't expecting it…"

Nodding distractedly, Faye looked past him to watch Kuma and Monzaemon stack up the Workshop's heavier toys into pyramids to maximize space.

Tokage and Andromon were on a lower level, helping out with some Digimon-proof defenses so that another surprise attack at Santoff Claussen would not be possible.

Most of the other girls were gone; Casey and Evie had been invited to the Warren by Bunny, and Jack had taken Kim and Rocky to his hometown for a tour not that long ago; Ma was with Tooth at her palace in Asia, and Ally had been so very excited to go to Sandy's island for a visit.

Only Bee had stayed behind with her, but she was on her computers, going through whatever information they had on Digimon and the Digital World for clues of some kind.

While Faye would normally enjoy the alone time-_or as alone as they could be with their Digimon hanging around_-, she found herself too agitated to sit still at the moment.

All she could think about was Pitch and his constant attempts to destroy her friends, and that maybe…

_Maybe it was time she stopped by for a little chat_.

A wave of determination crashed through the Bond, causing Gomamon to pause in his work and peer up at Faye in surprise.

There was something steely in her eyes, behind the manic glee and bright smile, that hinted at her intentions.

"How does a little trip sound, Goma-Goma?"

He considered dissuading her, convincing his Warrior that maybe whatever she had planned was a bad idea, but…

A little spark of worry, of deep-rooted responsibility and drive, crushed that thought in a moment.

_Besides, what kind of friend would he be if he let her go alone?_

"Sure, why not?" Gomamon replied, clambering up to his usual perch and peering down at her face with a smile. "Where are we going?"

Faye's smile took on a wicked edge as she stood, stuffing a pack of playing cards and some marbles into a pocket of her cargo pants.

"Just dropping by a certain dark hole for a visit." The multi-colored teen assured, grabbing a Snow Globe from a nearby table. "Don't worry. It'll be fun."

* * *

Pitch was beyond frustrated.

Every attempt of his to break those Digidestined, to destroy whatever it was that made them a threat, had backfired spectacularly.

Shove any of those girls in a corner, even the ones that seemed meek, and they came out fighting harder than expected.

_His new associates were less than pleased with these results_.

If he was unable to stop the last three from reaching the Champion level…

"Ha! Read 'em and weep! A Straight!"

Caught off-guard by the voice echoing through his underground lair, the Nightmare King frowned, transporting himself through the tunnel to Alaska, somewhere on Mount McKinley.

There, sitting on the snow in front of a flat piece of rock, was one of the banes of his existence.

And she was…playing cards?

Pitch could only stare, confused, as the teenager slapped her cards down with a grin.

"Ha! I win! Hand it over, Goma-Goma!"

The Digimon grinned back, revealing his own cards with a flourish.

"Not so fast, Faye. Royal Flush!"

Her jaw dropped in disbelief, and she groaned, her forehead landing squarely on the rock as the hood of her thick grey coat flopped over her colorful mop of hair.

"Not cool, dude…"

Gathering his wits once more, Pitch decided to make his presence known.

"What are you doing here?"

Turning her head slightly, Faye spotted him and popped up with a grin, suddenly energized.

"Oh, there you are! We've been waiting forever!"

She pouted, a childish gesture that strangely fit perfectly on her face.

"I was starting to think you were ignoring me."

Pitch, thrown off-balance by her nonchalance, could not find a reply.

_What was he supposed to say to that?_

Deck of cards safely put away, Gomamon clambered up onto her head, not looking the least bit troubled by the shade's presence.

The others had all bristled and snarled and glared, sensing a threat and moving to protect their partners, but this one?

The aquatic Digimon yawned, practically dozing, and Pitch felt his eye twitch.

"Are you dull?" The dark spirit hissed, insulted. "I could destroy you without a second thought!"

"Then why haven't you?"

Her innocent question pierced a soft spot, stunning Pitch into speechlessness.

Faye's grin did not slip, but took on a predatory edge that bode ill for him.

"Because you can't!" She replied, hands twined confidently behind her head. "You come at us with your Nightmares and Digimon and plans, and we beat you over and over again!"

She giggled like a small child, eyes bright and deceptively sharp.

"And people say _I'm_ crazy!"

"What do you want, _child_?" He seethed, growing impatient.

Faye's unsettling grin only grew wider as she turned to face him, finally pausing in her restless, casual pacing.

"I'm here to give you a warning." She chirped, voice bright despite the deadly steel underneath. "You're going to leave my friends alone, or I'm going to make you."

* * *

Faye was nowhere to be found.

Not in her room, not in North's library, not in the Globe Room…

Even the yeti and elves had not seen her in hours.

"Is probably hiding." North assured, though he was not so sure of that himself.

"S-Someone would still know where she is, then…" Bee replied, worry clear on her face as Tentomon buzzed around her.

"Faye and Gomamon can't stay still for this long." The bug Digimon agreed, following his partner as she put on a headset and started up a five-way call on her main computer.

After a few rings, Casey, and then Ma, answered their cell phones.

"Hey, Bee! What's up?"

"Is something wrong?"

With a shaky breath, the brunette admitted the one thing none of them _ever_ wanted to hear.

"F-Faye's gone."

* * *

Pitch could only stare at this cocky, _infuriating_ girl in absolute disbelief.

"Do you know who I am?" He demanded. "I am the Nightmare King, the Boogeyman! The monster under the bed and everything humans fear!"

"Yeah, I know." Faye replied, nonchalant as anything. "But what are you gonna do? Try and scare me to death?"

Her smile was sly when all the spirit did was silently fume, turning deftly as if dismissing his anger.

"You see, this whole thing reminds me of a movie I watched as a kid. There were grasshoppers and ants, and the grasshoppers bullied the ants into getting them food for winter." Faye noted, Gomamon shifting on her head slightly to keep the spirit in his peripheral. "The ants do it because the grasshoppers are bigger, and they're too scared to fight back. But!"

Here, she whipped around to face Pitch, eyes bright.

"Then the ants realize that they're actually stronger than the grasshoppers, and the leader gets eaten by a bird!"

"And that has to do with this _how_?" Pitch drawled, feeling a rage-headache building behind his eyes.

"Because you're the grasshopper, and we're the ants." She explained, as if it were obvious.

Her voice dropped into a spine-chilling register then, a dark, demonic thing that promised pain.

"_We're figuring out that we're not as weak as you've tried to make us think_."

Then, just as suddenly, Faye was smiling and hopping about as if nothing had changed.

"So you've got two choices! Leave us alone, or get your butt kicked by a bunch of girls!"

The sudden whiplash Pitch was feeling warned him not to underestimate this teenager like he had the others; she was just as likely to snap his neck as offer him tea at this point.

"You think you can intimidate me?" He retorted, scowling.

"Nope." Faye replied, popping the 'p' for emphasis. "I think I can convince you it's a bad idea."

"It seems you were the one with a bad idea." Pitch countered, nightmare-sand rising from the ground like smoke. "You are all alone with me, with no way to escape. Does that seem bright?"

Her smile was wicked, and Gomamon finally reacted, tensing up.

"Kinda, yeah." Faye voiced, kicking at some of the dark sand creeping towards her foot. "It's like Rock, Paper, Scissors. Digimon are rock, and spirits are Scissors. I've got you beat."

This time, it was Pitch's turn to smile, a shark's grin that promised much retribution.

"Actually, I have the advantage in this exchange."

Faye paused, blinking in confusion, just before a massive winged unicorn burst out of the tunnel, a falcon-winged woman with long brown hair hovering at it's side.

"Unimon and Torime." Gomamon informed his partner, entire body bristling.

Faye was silent for a moment, just staring at the massive Unimon with an unreadable expression…

"HORSIE!" She squealed, hopping in place like an excited child. "Can I keep him? I wasn't allowed to keep Kuwagamon!"

Torime fanned her wings, talons outstretched, and energy slowly built in Unimon's opening maw.

Gomamon let out a strained chuckle, tightening his grip on her rainbow-hued hair.

"I don't think you can, Faye…"

"_Aw_, why not?"

"Aerial Attack!"

With a squeak, Faye pressed herself against the mountainside as the attack brushed by, exploding in midair.

"Okay, _now_ I know."

Gomamon tugged on her hair, eyes wide as Unimon and Torime lunged for them.

"Time to go!"

"On it!"

Faye proceeded to book it down the mountain path, only skidding to a halt when-

"Aerial Attack!"

-the giant flying horse decided to _break the road_.

Flailing to keep from falling over the edge, the teenager spun around, frowning.

"Not fair!"

"It's not about being fair." Pitch retorted, pleased. "It's about _winning_."

Unimon opened his fang-lined mouth, preparing another blast that would surely finish them off-

And then Birdramon crashed into him at full speed.

Ma leapt from her Digimon's ankle with a burst of wind, and proceeded to kick Torime full in the face with both feet, flipping back to land in front of Faye as Casey and Agumon slid down to join them.

"Damn it, Faye!" The redhead shouted, clearly frazzled. "How many times do we have to tell you? _Stop listening to those damn voices in your head_!"

"It's not my fault!" Faye defended herself, amused. "The voices keep telling me to ignore you!"

Rolling her eyes, Ma called up a strong gust of wind, which caught in Torime's wings and sent the other Warrior tumbling out of her charge.

Unimon bucked free of the broken rock, aiming for Birdramon's face as she tried to keep him pinned.

"Aerial Attack!"

With a shriek of pain, Birdramon toppled down the mountainside, and Ma gasped as her partner landed hard on a shelf of rock lower down.

"Birdramon!"

In her moment of distraction, Torime struck, slamming into the brunette's chest and sending her over the edge after her injured Digimon.

"That's it!" Casey shouted, the device on her hips already shining. "Now it's our turn!"

"Agumon, Digivolve to…**Greymon**!"

The massive dinosaur stood protectively over his Warrior and companions, baring his fangs at the equine Digimon threatening them.

"Nova Blast!"

Unimon dodged the projectile with ease, and-_with more speed and strength than expected_-slammed his hooves into Greymon's side, smashing the larger Digimon into the rock wall so hard the mountain quaked.

Fire bloomed from Casey's hands in wild arcs, forcing the opposing pair to retreat, and she clambered up onto her Digimon's shoulder.

"Greymon? Come on, big guy, are you alright?"

"Yeah…"

"Aerial Attack!"

With a jerk, the fire-breathing Digimon shielded his partner from the attack, rock crumbling around them.

"Bluey!"

And Bunny was there, hopping through the wreckage in a blur as North stumbled to a stop by Faye, sabers drawn.

Tooth buzzed overhead after shooting out of the portal, looking around in a panic before seeing Birdramon in a crumpled heap below.

"Prema!"

Faye barely batted an eye at their sudden appearance, looking towards Torime-_who was trapping Casey and Greymon in their new little hole, at an advantage because of her dexterous flying_-and Unimon-_who was flying over a downed Ma and Birdramon, who were too inexperienced with flight to put up much resistance_-as she realized they were all in deep crud.

Then she spotted it.

A Black Gear, only half-embedded in Unimon's back as he flew a few feet below.

Without a second thought, Faye pulled Gomamon off her head and shoved him into a startled North's arms, expression determined.

"Hold onto him for me, big guy."

"Faye-?"

_And then she jumped_.

"_Faye_!"

Landing hard on the flying horse's back, Faye grunted in pain before grabbing the Black Gear, bracing her feet on the tough hide.

"Aerial Attack-!"

With one good yank, Unimon reared up, his attack flying harmlessly into the sky.

Faye was focused on her task, tugging and pulling on the Gear in an attempt to remove it despite Unimon's wild attempts to dismount her.

_Have to get it out, have to get it out, __**have to get it out**_-

Her fingers nearly slipped on the slick sides, and the multi-colored teen scrambled for a better hold, jaw clenched tight.

_No! She had to do this! They were counting on her to do this, and __**she'd do it if it killed her**__!_

And her fingers slipped.

For one long moment, Faye was weightless, silver eyes wide as her brain stalled in the realization that there was nothing to hold on to.

Gravity decided to dig it's claws into her belly, and-

"_**FAYE**_!"

_Then there was light_.

"Gomamon, Digivolve to…**Ikkakumon**!"

The ground exploded, and it felt like the whole world held it's breath…

And Ikkakumon reared up with a roar as boulders fly up from the cloud of dust, smashing into Unimon's belly and helmeted face with great force.

A column of rock followed, and Faye leapt off, grabbing her Digimon's new horn and swinging around to sit there with a grin.

"Yeah, I'm awesome." She teased, greatly amused by Pitch's near-breakdown at the **sixth** failure in a row. "Ready to kick some butt, Ikkakumon?"

"I was _born_ ready." The arctic Digimon replied, moving to better shield their allies.

"Then let's do it!" Faye decided, leaping off Ikkakumon's horn to tackle Torime straight out of the sky.

The Warriors struck rock, and the rainbow-haired teen clenched her fists, causing it to shackle the bird-woman down.

"Go for it!"

The walrus-like Digimon took a moment to aim at his opponent, bristling.

"Harpoon Torpedo!"

The large projectiles cut through the air, missing by scant inches, and Unimon whinnied his triumph-

When the outer casing opened, the explosives inside doing an immediate one-eighty to slam into the Black Gear in his back.

Crashing onto the wide mountain path, Unimon gave one last shudder as the dark metal finally left his body, disintegrating like all the others as both Digimon and Warrior fell unconscious.

_Pitch was about ready to start cussing at this point_.

With that bright, manic grin, Faye tossed a good-sized rock between her hands, the grey shining brightly in her eyes.

"So, reconsidering yet?"

_Oh_, if he could just get his hands around her neck…

But now was not the time.

They had the advantage of Digimon and numbers, an advantage that would only grow once Unimon and Torime awakened, and the best course of action was retreat.

"When the time comes, I will enjoy your screams." Pitch hissed, disappearing into the shadows and destroying that entrance to his lair as a precaution.

Faye seemed completely untroubled by the threat, a flash of light signaling her return to normal a moment later.

Spinning on her heels, she flashed a grin at the others as Gomamon climbed up to her shoulders.

"So, how have your days been?"

The Guardians could only stare at her, nonplussed, and Ma rolled her eyes, petting Biyomon's head comfortingly.

Casey, however, about blew her lid.

"_**You**_!" She growled, stomping forward and jabbing an angry finger into the older girl's chest. "If you _ever_ do something like this again, I will break _both_ your legs! _And don't think I won't_!"

Gomamon jumped onto his partner's head at the rush of joy that came through the Bond, laughing as Faye grabbed Casey and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug.

"Aw, you _do_ care!" She squealed, ignoring that the redhead's face was buried deeply in her bosom.

"Faye! Let her go! She can't breathe!"

As Ma tried to separate the two, the three spirits shared a look, and North could not help a relieved chuckle.

_What else could he expect from Faye?_

* * *

Laughing to himself, the Man in the Moon beamed down as the sixth light flared to a new brightness.

It was no surprise, really.

The most lonely people were often the most Reliable.


	14. Chapter 12

This chapter is in dedication to one of my loyal readers, littletigery. Her pet cat Zuko was in an accident this past week, and she asked for some updates for my two current stories. How could I refuse? My heart goes out to her and her family, and I hope everything turns out alright.

Sincerely,

ChibiLover123

* * *

The night sky was clear of clouds, stars shining like diamonds without pollution to dim their light and making the tundra sparkle.

But it was the moon that held center-stage that night, round and full as it hovered over the ground like a watchful protector.

Santoff Claussen was silent, most of it's occupants-_from the hardworking yeti to the hyperactive elves_-fast asleep in their beds so late at night.

The only one awake, in fact, was Evie.

Sitting on the window ledge of her bedroom, blonde curls loose about her shoulders and given a silver sheen from the moonlight, she softly stroked down Salamon's back as the puppy-like Digimon lay sprawled on her lap.

Humming softly, she peered up at the celestial orb with big blue eyes.

"Thank you." She voiced, keeping quiet so as not to wake Casey, who was sleeping a few feet away with Agumon.

The moon's glow brightened and dimmed, like some sort of ancient Morse Code, and Evie smiled.

"Of course I need to. You've done so much…"

Salamon growled lowly in contentment, one ear twitching before her own pair of blue eyes went towards the moon hanging overhead.

"I never would have found her without you." The Digimon admitted, nuzzling into her partner's stomach. "I don't know what I would've done without her…"

A moonbeam shone through the glass, soft as a butterfly's wings against Evie's cheeks, eliciting a giggle from the young girl.

"Alright, I'll go to bed." The young blonde promised, scooping Salamon up carefully as she stood. "Goodnight, moon."

One could almost imagine a smile across the pockmarked surface as the girl crawled into the large king-sized bed, cuddling up to her sister with a sigh.

Mumbling sleepily under her breath, Casey shifted, turning over onto her side and pulling the younger girl close with one arm.

Head tucked under her sister's chin and a heartbeat thrumming through her ears, Evie relaxed fully, the glow of dream-sand blurring as her eyes fluttered shut.

Here, everything was safe and warm.

_Here, there was nothing to fear_.

* * *

"Hey." Casey greeted softly, peeking into the bedroom around the half-opened door. "How are you feeling?"

Slowly uncurling from around Salamon, Evie blinked away the effects of her medicated slumber to turn over, vision still blurring.

"I'm okay…"

Stepping up to her bedside, the redhead pressed a hand to the younger girl's forehead as Agumon scrambled onto the bed.

"Well, your fever has gone down…Do you have a cough? A stuffy nose?"

Yawning, Evie wrapped her arms around the small dinosaur-Digimon in a hug as Salamon curled against her side.

"No…"

Casey chuckled, fingers tickling under her sister's jaw so the little blonde giggled uncontrollably, squirming in a futile attempt at escape.

"Time to get up, then." She noted, turning her attention to the nightstand as Evie started to rise on her own. "Breakfast will be ready soon, and if we don't get there in time, Faye will eat it all."

Nodding distractedly, Evie pushed the comforter and sheets off with one hand, hugging Agumon close like a small child would a teddy bear as Salamon stretched out her back with a POP.

A fond smile crossed Casey's face as she sat on the bed, two pink ribbons on her lap as she carefully started to comb through the sleep-tangled curls with a brush.

Humming softly at the familiar soothing gesture, blue eyes fell to half-mast as she pet down Salamon's back.

With the ease of someone who had done this many times before, Casey twisted her hair up into pigtails, tying them in place with the ribbons and making little bows.

"Get dressed, and I'll make you some oatmeal." She promised, lifting Agumon onto her hip like one would carry a toddler. "Maple syrup and cinnamon?"

"Yes, please…" Evie yawned, swinging her legs off the bed and rubbing her eyes. "Thank you, mama bunny…"

Pausing at the door, Casey could not help the flood of maternal affection she felt at that moment.

Agumon purred at the feelings coming through the Bond, glad for the fire-bright smile on his Warrior's face.

"No problem, baby bunny."

* * *

Carefully maneuvering the crochet needles around each other in swift motions, Evie hummed as the yarn take shape under her guidance.

Salamon, sitting on a nearby table, watched in amazement as the ball of green yarn slowly transformed into cloth and pooled on itself in layers.

An elf, trying to take advantage of the Digimon's distraction, reached up on his tip-toes to grab a cookie-

With a short warning growl, Salamon kicked the elf away, not once taking her eyes off the project her partner was working on.

The elf flailed wildly on his back, like a downed turtle, and Evie set aside her work, helping the mischievous little creature up.

"Here you go."

The elf stared, dumbfounded, as a cookie was placed in his hands.

"You could have just asked." She teased gently, smile warm.

Once he regained his senses, the elf grinned back, nodding furiously and hugging her leg before taking off.

Giggling at his enthusiasm, Evie grabbed another cookie, breaking it in half and offering one piece to her Digimon while nibbling on the other.

Happily digging her sharp little teeth into the sweet, Salamon rubbed against her partner's fingers with a happy little growl.

"You don't have to be so rough with them." The blonde child noted, scratching behind a floppy ear. "I don't mind sharing the cookies. There are plenty."

The Digimon was silent for a long moment, mulling over her partner's words as she set the cookie down.

"It's just…food is precious." She explained, frowning. "You need your strength."

Evie smiled so sweetly that Salamon practically melted, almost purring as a kiss was placed on her forehead.

"Thank you for worrying." The blonde soothed, blue eyes big and warm with affection. "But you don't need to. I'm alright."

Peering up at her, Salamon took in the bags under those eyes and the constant illness that reddened her cheeks, frowning.

"It doesn't matter." The puppy-Digimon asserted, firm. "I'll always worry and protect you."

_And that was a promise she would keep_.

* * *

Evie is fine with being in the background most of the time, staying out of the spotlight whenever possible.

She knew how Faye craved it, how Bee needed it, how Ally smiled when she had it, and left the spotlight to them for the most part.

_This did not mean, of course, that Evie was ever forgotten_.

Putting down a plate of fresh apple and orange slices, Ma frowned at the empty ones that still held crumbs from the less-than-healthy snack from earlier.

"Can't have you gorging on cookies all day." She fussed, picking them up with one hand and ruffling Evie's bangs in a motherly fashion.

"Oh, they're so bad for your teeth!" Tooth fretted, buzzing around to check inside the young girl's mouth as if she could see the chocolate eat away at the teeth within.

"Her teeth will be fine." Kim pointed out, frowning as she smacked Jack's hand away from her sketchbook.

"Is there any caramel?" Rocky wondered, looking away from the teddy she was making-_one that was starting to look suspiciously like a certain winter spirit_.

"Oh, caramel!" Jack lamented, grinning. "Just think of what that'll do to your teeth!"

"Exactly!" Tooth voiced, completely oblivious to the frost-boy's sarcasm.

Sandy looked up from his eggnog, a series of symbols appearing over his head, and Ally smiled in agreement.

"He's right, Tooth. A little sugar can't hurt!"

"But a lot of sugar can get you high!" Faye piped up, grinning from her spot next to Bee on one of the couches. "Gotta tell you, it's awesome! You get to _see_ sounds!"

The three spirits paused, expressions both disbelieving and awed by the sheer amount of _sugar_ that would take, and Kim rolled her eyes.

"You're no longer allowed to do that."

"_Aw_, why not?" The older teen complained, pouting.

"You almost molested Bee last time." The black-haired Warrior pointed out, and Bee's face became as red as the apple slices Ma had brought.

"K-K-Kim!"

"Oh, shush!" Faye voiced, pulling the embarrassed brunette into an enthusiastic hug. "It's not _my_ fault Bumblebee is so adorably sexy!"

Bee was sputtering now, so very embarrassed, and trying to pull out of the older girl's grip.

"F-F-F-Faye! L-Let g-g-go!"

"Why would I wanna do that?" Faye teased, happily getting a squeeze on the poor girl's rear so she squeaked. "I like you just where you are!"

Before things could escalate-_or Tooth fainted from shock_-, Ma nailed the multi-colored teen in the face with a cushion.

"_You stop that right now_!" She thundered. "There are children in the room!"

Blinking innocently, Faye turned her head to see that, not only was Sandy shielding Ally's eyes and Tooth blocking Jack's view, but Kim was glaring death at her from where she stood by Rocky and Evie.

"Oh…I forgot." She noted, smiling. "You see, kids, this here is called a brea-"

Unlike Ma, Kim did not find something soft to chuck at Faye's face.

Evie and Rocky could not help giggling at the chaos that followed, all false upset and laughs, sharing a smile between them.

_There were many times Evie was glad to not be the center of attention._

* * *

Leaping from the icy snow of the Arctic to the pleasant warmth of Santoff Claussen, Bunny shivered violently.

"Bloody _freezing_…" He grumbled, shaking the white fluff off his fur as he kicked the door closed.

"Bunny!"

Ears perking up at the sudden call of his nickname, the Pooka turned around to see who had done so.

"Hey there, ya little anklebiter." He greeted, picking up Evie in a hug. "What's got ya all excited?"

The blonde smiled, big blue eyes shining with joy as she held up a tissue-wrapped bundle.

"I made you a present!"

"Really now?" Bunny voiced, adjusting his grip so he held the girl in the crook of one arm. "Ya didn't have ta go an' do that."

"I wanted to." She insisted, handing it over as Salamon skidded to a halt below her, tail wagging in residual excitement.

"Well, how can I say no ta that face?" Bunny admitted, setting her down gently.

Sliding a claw in the ribbon's knot, he undid the wrapping and-

The Pooka went still, slowly pulling out a thick scarf and modified gloves made out of the softest green yarn he had ever seen, with bright orange and white asters lovingly crocheted amid the green.

"Do you like them?" Evie wondered, growing slightly nervous at his silence. "You always say how cold it is, so I just thought…"

Before she could start to ramble, Bunny crouched and pulled her into a hug, purring softly as he nuzzled her hair.

"I love 'em, ya little anklebiter."

Evie smiled, shy and sweet.

"You really like it?"

"'Course I do." The Australian assured, straightening slightly.

Without prompting, the Pooka unraveled the scarf and expertly looped it around his neck.

The yarn was warm against his shoulders, the ends hanging loose on both sides of his shoulders and just waiting for a good burst of speed.

"Now, ya wouldn't happen ta know where yer sister is, would ya?"

* * *

Evie may have been young, and perhaps a bit naïve, but she was most certainly not blind.

Sipping on the herbal tea Ma had insisted on, the blonde sat quietly by the fire with the Digimon, watching her sister and the Pooka on a couch against the far wall.

Angling the paintbrush in her hands, Casey tried to paint a straight line across the egg's shell and pouted when it came out at an angle instead.

Smiling at the adorable expression, Bunny reached around to hold both her hands steady, practically encompassing the teenager in an embrace.

"There ya go, bluey." He rumbled, amused. "Just gotta keep yer hand from shiftin', that's all."

Cheeks faintly pink, the redhead nodded, a silly little smile on her lips as Bunny guided her through another stroke.

There was something about the spark in Casey's eyes, the quirk in Bunny's smile…

Evie smiled secretly into her tea, Agumon's purr vibrating up her leg as Salamon giggled softly, butting heads gently with the happy dinosaur-Digimon.

_They were happy, and that was all she needed to know_.

* * *

Nursing her cup of tea, Evie took a deep breath as the sleeping aid started to kick in.

Salamon relaxed fully as the dozy feeling came through the Bond, cuddling further into the blankets as the cup was set aside.

Yawning widely, the blonde shut off the bedside lamp, leaving only a strip of artificial light coming in from the half-opened doorway.

Casey would not be going to sleep for another hour at least, but with the moon shining on her back, Evie felt safe enough to settle down.

As the medicine did it's work, the blonde turned and pulled her Digimon close, vision blurring as dream-sand filtered in to finish the job.

As a little girl and a kitten scampered over her head, Salamon yawned, all sharp little teeth, as the wonderful dream filtered through and dragged her into slumber not long after.

Time passed, quiet and peaceful…

The moon's light brightened sharply in alarm as the shadows grew, and Salamon frowned, as if sensing a disturbance.

Circling the bed like a lion would it's prey, Pitch smiled his shark's-smile with satisfaction.

"Oh, so very sweet…" He cooed maliciously, turning his smile onto the silent watcher outside. "Your little favorite, isn't she?"

The moonlight turned harsh, cutting through the dark, and Pitch chuckled.

"Don't be like that, old friend."

Shadows rose up around the bed like dark sentries, closing in...

"_You should have known better_."

* * *

Sandy was the first to notice something was wrong.

The dream-sand he had sent to soothe Evie to sleep was suddenly _gone_, cut off from the collective consciousness and no longer responding to his subtle control.

Noticing the sudden shift in his attention, Ally paused, concerned.

"Sandy?"

Frowning, the dream-giver sent out another strand, wondering…

Ally yelped when the former wishing star shot straight up into the air, exclamation points popping into existence over his head in alarm.

Fumbling the egg in her hands, Casey winced at the feeling of wet paint as Sandy grabbed her shoulders and pulled.

"What the _hell_-?"

Not giving her a chance to argue, Sandy dragged her off the couch and towards the residential wing, images appearing over his head in rapid-fire succession.

For a moment, she had no idea what he was saying-

_Until the image of Pitch formed, and her heart dropped like a stone_.

"No…"

Bolting down the hallway, skidding around corners in her haste, Casey tried to breathe past the heavy lump in her throat.

_No no no no no no no no_…

Her shoulder struck the door first, and the barrier slammed against a wall as the redhead stumbled, panicked gold eyes immediately locked on the bed.

_The empty bed_.

Running up to throw the sheets away, she ignored the toppled tea cup on the floor and displaced mattress in her haste.

"Evie? Evie, where are you? Evie!"

A hand on her shoulder gave her pause, gold meeting blue as Kim slowly shook her head.

_There was no need for her to say it_.

Casey felt her heart break as she realized, truly realized, it was true.

_Evie was gone_.

* * *

The lair was dark and dank, with only enough light to make shadows across the stalactites and cages overhead, twisting a person's perspective like one might remove the cap of a bottle.

It felt like every dark corner had a set of eyes, always watching and waiting, ready to strike at the slightest provocation…

On-edge, Salamon growled at every shadow, fur damp and bristling along her back.

She would not allow anyone here to harm her partner, _not while she had anything to say about it_.

Curled up in a feeble attempt to stay warm, Evie reached out to smooth a hand down her Digimon's back, humming softly to soothe her.

She had woken up more than an hour ago in this cage, fever-hot and tired from lack of rest, with no idea what had happened to bring her there.

_Casey must be so worried_…

Sensing the girl's thoughts, Salamon growled softly in comfort, nuzzling against her palm and licking the dark-chilled fingers.

A smile unfurled across Evie's face, soft and brilliant like starlight.

"Don't worry." She whispered, curling her fingers to scratch gently behind a floppy ear. "I'm okay."

"You won't be for long, I'm afraid."

Evie jolted in surprise, wide blue eyes meeting sickly amber as the Nightmare King smirked, rather pleased with himself.

"I have so many plans for you two…I had begun to wonder if it was possible to turn a Warrior and their Digimon into Fearlings."

Salamon stood between her partner and this familiar threat, sharp little fangs bared in warning.

"If you hurt her, _I'll_…"

"You'll what?" Pitch mocked, unimpressed. "Bark at me?"

Bristling in outrage, the puppy-like Digimon lunged, hitting the bars with a CLANG as her claws caught on the shade's cloak in an attempt to slice flesh.

Evie winced as if her own forehead had struck the metal, a headache throbbing into being.

"Salamon!" She cried out, gathering the furious Digimon into her arms and hugging her close.

Physical touch amplified the Bond, and she quieted with a growl, not wanting to upset her Warrior further.

Chuckling, Pitch circled the cage, not at all threatened by the violent outburst.

"Really now, is that any way to treat your captor?" He chided, amused.

Frowning, Evie lifted her head to stare back, not a speck of fear in her bright blue eyes or the matching pair that still glared at him.

"You should let us go now, before you get hurt."

The warning was said with such firm confidence that Pitch stopped his casual circling to stare back, incredulous.

"Oh? And how exactly do you imagine I will get hurt by keeping you here?"

"Casey."

Pitch stopped to consider that possibility, and could admit to himself that her arrival would likely cause quite a bit of pain.

"She won't stop until she finds me, and when she does, she's going to _kick your butt_." Evie explained, not a single doubt or fear in her mind that this might not be the case.

"What makes you think any of them will even realize you're gone?" The Nightmare King bit out, annoyed.

"Casey always knows."

It was said with the certainty that one would point out that the sky is blue and the grass is green.

_Casey always knows_.

Scowling, the Nightmare King turned, summoning his latest Digimon minion with a wave of his hand.

"Wizardmon."

Like a magician might appear on stage before a performance, smoke rose up in a funnel, dissipating quickly to reveal a humanoid Digimon, sun-topped staff in hand and nearly hidden beneath a thick purple cape and hat.

"You called?" He voiced, a hint of sarcasm tinting his tone.

"Watch them." Pitch ordered, too caught up in his frustration to notice. "And don't let anyone in."

Wizardmon nodded his understanding, turning to study his new charges as the dark spirit disappeared into the shadows.

The girl was small for a human, and fragile, as if the slightest rough touch would bruise her pale skin, but…

Even in the gloom, her eyes were shining, practically stars in the eternal darkness of the Nightmare King's lair.

_Wizardmon didn't feel it was right, keeping someone so bright caged up in this place_.

But that was none of his business; it was his job to make sure she stayed put, no matter how much the thought bothered him.

As the silence dragged on, Wizardmon settled into a cross-legged position next to the rusty cage, trying to ignore his turbulent emotions.

There was no reason to care if this foolish endeavor killed him-_there was no reason to keep going, anyway_-, but did he really want to take away that right from everyone else?

"He didn't put a Black Gear in you." Evie noted softly, Salamon relaxing in her arms and no longer bristling. "Why?"

The humanoid Digimon was silent for a moment, wondering if he should answer…

"I have no reason to fight, or live." He replied, the glimmer of sad green eyes shining beneath the brim of his hat. "So, there was no reason to refuse."

Evie frowned in concern, shifting closer.

"Everyone has a reason to live…"

"I did." Wizardmon admitted, the tense line of his shoulders loosening. "Every Digimon has a reason for living…Until they are taken away."

Salamon whined softly, resting her forepaws on the bars as sympathy filled her eyes.

"Your Warrior…"

"Made the sacrifice anyone in our position would have." Wizardmon finished, closing his eyes against the old pain. "I loved her as much as any Digimon loves their Warrior. To not feel the Bond…It is a constant reminder that I am alone."

The blonde-haired girl was silent, taking in the slumped shoulders and bent head…

Wizardmon went still as a hand took hold of his, warm and solid through the thick leather gloves.

_It was the first time since her death that he had been touched_.

Green eyes met blue, and the Digimon could almost believe he saw a bit of his partner in those depths.

"You're not alone anymore."

It was almost like _her_ voice echoed underneath, assuring him that everything was alright…

_And suddenly, Wizardmon had another reason to live_.

Everything changed, priorities rearranging themselves lightning-quick in his mind like a dealer shuffling a deck of cards.

There was no doubt in his mind that Pitch wanted to harm this girl and her Digimon, to taint her light and turn her into a weapon, and that could not be allowed.

Even if she was not a Chosen, he would not have allowed it.

_There were not nearly enough good things in the world as it was_.

As if sensing something had changed, Evie tightened her grip on his hand, cheeks fever-red but eyes clear.

"Wizardmon?"

Mind made up, the Champion-level Digimon squeezed before pulling away, determined.

"Step back."

Curious, the young girl agreed, shuffling to the far side of the cage as Salamon crouched by her side in preparation.

Aiming his staff at the lock, Wizardmon focused his intent and-

"Magical Game!"

The lock rattled violently under the influence of his magic before exploding in a shower of metal debris, falling to the ground in a ball of twisted gears.

Salamon wasted no time in shoving the door open, hopping over the broken lock with ease as Evie carefully stepped out, steadying herself on the curved bars.

"You two need to get out of here." Wizardmon urged, scanning the room for any prying eyes. "There is no telling when he will return, or if he has others in his employ."

Straightening despite the weakness in her legs, the blonde girl frowned in concern as Salamon sniffed the air.

"What about you? Aren't you coming with us?"

Purposely ignoring her questions, Wizardmon turned away to point with his staff.

"Take that tunnel to the surface. It will open to a lake near the town of Burgess."

"Wizardmon."

The larger Digimon stopped, unwilling to make eye contact with the smaller one staring holes into his back.

"We are _not_ leaving without you."

"Actually, none of you will be leaving."

With a sharp gasp, Evie whipped around, tripping over her own feet like a newborn fawn as Pitch materialized a short distance away.

"I'm rather disappointed in you, Wizardmon." The shade admitted, slowly circling the trio. "To think I had such high hopes for you…"

Staff pointed unerringly at the dark spirit, the humanoid Digimon frowned behind the high collar of his cape.

"If you thought I would allow you to harm a child, then you do not know me very well at all."

Pitch rolled his eyes with a gusty sigh, like one would with a foolish child.

"You didn't seem to mind when we first approached you. Why the sudden change of heart?"

His gaze was piercing, calculating and deducing like a predator might before striking down prey.

"Or do you need a reminder of why you agreed in the first place?"

Evie yelped in fright as nightmare-sand rose up from the ground around her, jerking back and nearly stumbling as Salamon jumped to her defense with a snarl.

The tendrils snapped out like striking snakes, grabbing the small puppy-Digimon and holding her aloft as she struggled, securely muzzled.

Raising his staff, Wizardmon moved to free her-

A massive scythe arced down, prepared to slice him in half, and he was forced to block the blow instead.

"It's amazing how weak your kind becomes without a partner."

Pitch smirked, bearing down and forcing the Digimon back despite his solid stance.

"You're hardly a challenge."

With a twist, the scythe hooked under the crooked wood, yanking it from Wizardmon's hands to skitter across the floor.

Evie knew in a moment what was about to happen, heart twisting in worry and panic and _no, please don't hurt him, he was just trying to help-!_

Just as Pitch raised his weapon, ready to bring it down in a fatal strike, Salamon felt her heart wail in time with her Warrior's.

_**NO**__!_

_For the first time in human history, light touched the lair of the Nightmare King_.

"Salamon, Digivolve to…**Gatomon**!"

Blinded by the unexpected brightness in his dark lair, Pitch reared back, blinking stars out of his eyes as a glowing dome deflected the blade of his scythe from Wizardmon's head.

"Lightning Paw!"

A white blur struck him full in the face in a burst of blood and agony, Pitch stumbling as one hand came up to stem the flood.

Once his vision cleared, the shade could only stare at the bristling feline Digimon before him, large black claws digging furrows into the stone floor and whip-like tail lashing the air.

Evie collapsed onto her knees in surprise, sparks of light dancing around her fingertips as the dome that surrounded Wizardmon dissolved.

_Did she just…? Were they…?_

"Take one more step. _I dare you_." Gatomon threatened, admittedly more intimidating despite the fact she had not become much bigger with her transformation.

Cursing to himself, Pitch retreated a few more steps, furious with his seventh failure in a row.

_He would not allow this fact to leave his domain_.

"Deltamon!"

The floor cracked, opening a chasm where the giant dinosaur-like Digimon rose up, a skull-head as one hand and a metallic serpent's as the other, twin tails snapping against the ground so hard it trembled.

The two smaller Digimon tensed, Wizardmon's gaze flickering to his staff.

_If he could just get his hands on it_…

"Devour them."

With a triple-headed roar, Deltamon charged, mouths open in preparation to do just that-

Sharp fangs skittered off the bright domes in a shower of sparks, rearing back with screeches at the unexpected pain.

Evie flinched at the power that was exerted on her forcefields, and they flickered out of existence as her focus wavered with a rush of fever-pain.

Sensing this, Gatomon hissed, attacking the source of her Warrior's distress.

"Lightning Paw!"

Deltamon's main head snapped back from the blow, and Wizardmon took the distraction to leap for his staff.

Shoving herself up, Evie forced herself to concentrate as the large dinosaur-like Digimon lashed out at the humanoid Wizardmon with it's tails.

The blows hit the glowing shields with teeth-rattling force, enough that Wizardmon stumbled before getting a good grip on his staff, and Gatomon leapt between them with a glare.

"Cat's Eye Hypnotism!"

Deltamon went still for a moment, as if frozen solid, before the three heads suddenly turned on each other.

Taking advantage of the opening, Wizardmon raised his staff, and stormy clouds formed among the stalactites overhead.

Pitch, unwilling to be outdone _again_, lashed out with his nightmare-sand at the current bane of his existence.

The girl yelped as the whip-like constructs wrapped around her legs, jerking back in surprise and terror.

"_Gatomon_!"

Breaking her focus on Deltamon, the cat-Digimon turned towards her partner with wide eyes.

"_Evie_!"

Free from her influence, Deltamon lunged forward-

"Electro Squall!"

A bolt of lightning flew down from the unnatural cloud-cover, striking the massive Digimon square in the shoulder-blades with a blinding flash.

Gatomon ignored it as she rushed to her Warrior's aid, the ring on her tail gathering energy until-

"Cat Tail!"

With a forward flip, the jewelry cut through the tainted sand like a hot knife through butter, freeing Evie and allowing her to land in-between the girl and their enemy with ease.

"Magical Game!"

Incapacitated by the powerful shock, Deltamon growled weakly as magical bindings held him down, pinning all three mouths closed like muzzles.

Almost wild with rage, Pitch glared at the girl that had foiled his carefully-laid plans so easily.

He had taken such great care to choose the weakest link, to capture her at her most vulnerable, to not threaten her directly so as not to trigger a reaction…

_And yet_…

An explosion rocked the walls, and a familiar roar echoed through the tunnels like a death knell.

_It was time to go_.

"This isn't over." Pitch warned, disappearing into the shadows and vacating his lair in moments.

Ignoring the ruckus heading their way, Evie ran to Deltamon's center head, worry obvious in her eyes.

"Are you alright?"

The dark Digimon growled, flinching back from her raised hand, as if expecting to be struck.

Gatomon bristled, but said nothing as her partner's palm hovered inches from the scaled snout.

"I just want to help."

Deltamon continued to growl, but it softened enough that Evie smiled as light sparked between her fingers.

At the first touch, Deltamon jerked as if shocked.

Wizardmon watched in amazement as a glow came off the girl's skin and spread over the large Digimon's flesh, seeping in…

Until a Black Gear shot out of the heavily-scaled back, disintegrating on contact with the air, and Deltamon went still with a tired purr.

"Evie!"

All three turned at the shout, and Evie smiled in relief.

"Casey…"

Tears in her eyes, the redhead charged across the space and gathered her sister up in a hug.

"Oh, my baby bunny, you're okay…"

Agumon stopped by his partner's side, slightly out of breath, as the other Chosen and the Guardians stopped a respectful distance away.

"I'm okay…" Evie assured, a yawn slurring her words as she leaned into the older girl for support. "Gatomon and Wizardmon took care of me…"

The older girl raised her head, realizing what this meant.

"You mean Salamon…? And you…?"

"That's right." Gatomon replied, smile proud. "We couldn't have done it without Wizardmon."

The humanoid Digimon fidgeted under the sudden attention, hiding behind the brim of his hat shyly.

Evie tugged on her sister's shirt, adrenaline waning and exhaustion setting in.

"Can they come with us?"

Casey took a moment to look between Wizardmon and Deltamon, gold eyes turning back to the others with a shrug.

"Yeah…Yeah, they can come with us."

* * *

The Man in the Moon smiled down on the young Warrior, moonbeams singing with joy at her new strength.

He was so very proud of her…

She had stood up for someone else, and had not wavered in her belief for even a moment.

_Fear could not possibly comprehend Light's strength_.


	15. Chapter 13

The eternally frozen lake of Jack Frost was still surrounded by snow, even as spring edged it's way into Burgess.

As the hometown of the one and only winter spirit, the small Pennsylvania town was known for the coldest season of the year coming in earlier and hanging around later than anywhere else in the continental United States.

Shoving the snow into a good mound, Patamon stuck two branches on top, shoving them back so the leaves hung down in a parody of wings.

With a little digging, pebbles were found for eyes, and the small Digimon puffed up with pride at his creation.

"Look, RJ! I made a Snowmon!"

Tearing her gaze away from the nearby trees, Rocky managed a giggle and a smile for her Digimon.

But he could feel through the Bond that the joy was false, and deflated slightly.

"RJ…"

The smile fell into a sad frown, and she reached down to gather her partner into a hug.

"I'm sorry, Pat…It's just…"

"It's okay." Patamon assured, stretching up to place both hands on her cheeks. "Everyone's gonna be fine, you'll see."

The little smile that faltered across her face was genuine this time, and Rocky giggled as she rubbed noses with her partner.

"You're right. Kim and Gabumon can beat up Pitch, just like they did last time!"

Perking up, Patamon nodded enthusiastically, flapping his wings to hover in front of her with a smile.

"Exactly! They'll be here any minute, and then we can go back to the Workshop for cookies!"

"Chocolate chip this time!" Rocky agreed, growing excited. "With sprinkles!"

"There won't be much time to make cookies for a while."

The blonde whipped around, her smile growing into a blinding grin.

"Kimi!" She squealed, practically flying into the teenager's arms. "You're back! Did you beat up Pitch?"

"The battle was over by the time we arrived." She answered, a smile hidden in the corner of her lips. "But it seems things went well."

The group exited the trees, slowed by roots and branches, with Deltamon following behind at a stumbling pace.

"See, squirt? We're fine." Jack assured, ruffling the girl's bangs before floating around to get out of Casey's way.

Said redhead paused in a clear spot of snow, turning her head to see that Evie was even closer to sleep than she had been, Gatomon clinging to her back with sharp claws like a watchful guard as Wizardmon stopped at her side.

"Anklebiter's all tuckered out." Bunny noted fondly, scratching gently behind the feline Digimon's ear so she purred.

"Th-Then why hasn't she reverted back to the Rookie form?" Bee wondered, eyes flickering rapidly as thoughts and theories formed lightning-quick in her mind. "E-Everyone else did…"

"Very strong spirit!" North boomed, clapping the small brunette on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I mean, Evie's always been more 'see meanings in everything' than we are." Faye agreed, pacing in restless circles. "Maybe it finally paid off?"

Sandy shrugged, dream-sand shifting over his side at a clipped pace that only Ally seemed to keep up with.

"He's right, every jump to the next level has been a big leap emotionally for all of us. Maybe we're just not ready to stay in that place all the time?"

"I don't know about you guys, but I'd rather have this conversation indoors." Ma admitted, eyeing the nearest shadows as Tooth nervously hovered over her shoulders.

"We do not know when Pitch will return." North agreed, already rifling through his coat for a Snow Globe. "Best to be sa-"

Every Digimon in the vicinity suddenly tensed up, bristling and growling and hissing at some unseen threat as a bolt of _NOT SAFE_ went straight through the Bonds to their Warriors.

Faye went impeccably still, silver eyes flashing, as Gomamon trembled with how tightly he was holding himself back.

Casey straightened up, eyes narrowing as she scanned the immediate area.

"Agu?"

"Something's coming…" The dinosaur-Digimon growled, sparks escaping his maw with every flick of his head.

Guiding Rocky behind her and Jack, Kim placed a hand on Gabumon's head to ease his nerves, a frown taking over her face.

Bee shrunk into herself, hands clenched into fists as Tentomon buzzed around her, almost hiding in North's shadow.

Vibrating with nervous energy, Ally turned this way and that, hands flexing in time with her rising heartbeat as Sandy floated up higher to spot any incoming threats.

Biyomon, feathers rising like the fur of a threatened cat, crouched in front of her partner protectively as Tooth fluttered overhead, fidgeting anxiously as she whipped this way and that.

"You all seem a little nervous…"

Taut as bowstrings, the entire congregation spun to see Pitch standing a few meters away, much too smug for someone who had their nose broken and reset in the last hour.

Casey shifted to shield Evie and Gatomon, eyes practically sparking with fury.

"_You_? Haven't you had enough of a beating?"

"It's not him."

The redhead faltered, looking down at her partner in confusion only to discover that none of the Digimon were paying any mind to the dark spirit at all.

"Not this time." Pitch agreed. "I'm merely here to watch."

"Watch?" Ma muttered, wary. "Watch what?"

As if on cue, two large forms dropped out of the sky, suddenly surrounding the group and blocking any form of escape.

"Ogremon!" Gomamon shouted in warning, jumping to the ground in preparation to fight.

"And Leomon!" Palmon realized, shocked.

_Well, the names were certainly accurate_…

"Doesn't matter who they are." Casey asserted, firm, as she gently deposited her precious cargo on the snowy ground.

Everyone closed ranks, the girls and their Digimon blocking the threat from their weaker members and the Guardians.

"We're gonna beat them up anyway."

Leomon and Ogremon charged-

_And for the first time, six devices glowed in unison_.

"Agumon, Digivolve to…**Greymon**!"

"Gabumon, Digivolve to…**Garurumon**!"

"Palmon, Digivolve to…**Togemon**!"

Leomon was shoved back by the dinosaur Digimon's helmeted head, and the snow rose up in heavy waves to discourage another frontal assault.

"Biyomon, Digivolve to…**Birdramon**!"

"Tentomon, Digivolve to…**Kabuterimon**!"

"Gomamon, Digivolve to…**Ikkakumon**!"

Ogremon grunted as he hit Ikkakumon's head straight-on, missing being impaled by inches, before he was tossed away, the wind kicking up in a defensive barrier.

Pressing their advantage, Casey and Faye charged.

"Nova Blast!"

Leomon blocked the flames with his blade, dodging a fiery kick with relative ease.

"Harpoon Torpedo!"

Ogremon took the blow, flying out of the dust cloud when a chunk of rock uppercut him into the air.

"Needle Spray!"

The large feline Digimon shielded his face from the worst of the attack, though he was picked up and flung by strong tree roots immediately afterwards.

It was clear Leomon and Ogremon were on the losing side; they may have been skilled warriors, but they were severely outnumbered and outgunned, not to mention taking serious damage.

Pitch, however, hardly seemed bothered.

There was no anger, or worry, as he watched his only chance at victory get knocked around like Ping-Pong balls.

_North felt in his belly that something was wrong_.

Just as all six Digimon reared back, ready to strike together-

_The sky went dark_.

No clouds had suddenly rolled in, or smog; the sky itself had become ash-dark, stifling the sun and casting the world in eerie twilight.

Caught off-guard by the sudden shift, Kim paused in whatever blow she was planning to land, skin prickling with subconscious dread as Garurumon shifted over her with a protective snarl.

Hugging Patamon tightly to her chest, Rocky curled over him, blue eyes wide with fright as Evie hugged her knees, Gatomon standing on her shoulders with a hiss as Wizardmon stood over her protectively, staff in hand.

"So you are the Chosen Children…"

Standing on the frozen lake was a tall, black Digimon, his wings torn and skin ashen as he evaluated the group with piercing red eyes.

Beside him, a young man smirked, fangs peeking past his lips as bat wings flexed behind him, chest bare and leather pants hanging low on his hips.

"It's Devimon and Akuma." Greymon rumbled, lowering his head like a bull might before it charged. "They invented the nightmare in our world."

Tensing up, Casey scowled as fire flared over her fists.

"We were expecting you to be…intimidating." Akuma admitted, expression slightly amused.

All of the Digimon moved to shield their Warriors, tense and bristling, to disprove that statement.

"I've had enough of your interference."

Devimon raised his hand-

_And the Digimon struck_.

"Nova Blast!"

"Howling Blaster!"

"Meteor Wing!"

"Electro Shocker!"

"Needle Spray!"

"Harpoon Torpedo!"

A pulse of dark energy met the attacks in midair, an explosion shaking the forest violently as none reached their intended targets.

"Death Hand!"

The girls and their Digimon were thrown back by the blow, hitting the trees and snow-covered grass with earth-shaking force before a flash of light reverted all of them back to the Rookie level.

The Guardians were dumbstruck.

In one blow, Devimon had taken down all six of them…

Heavily dazed by the sudden outward rush of power through the Bond, Casey rolled onto her side with a groan, blinking some fuzziness from her eyes.

"_Oh_, that hurt…" Faye complained, throwing an arm over her eyes. "Did anyone get the license plate of the rocket that blew up in my face?"

Managing to sit up slightly, Bee reached out, pulling Tentomon to her side in worry.

"T-Tento? Oh, Tento, wh-what happened…?"

Holding a limp Biyomon close, Ma levered herself upright, brown eyes looking over the others as they did the same.

_What now?_

They had given it their best shot, and nothing…

Shoving herself onto her feet, Casey winced at the new aches spreading across her back as Agumon followed, leaning heavily against her leg.

Devimon's eyes narrowed as the others slowly followed suit, displeased with their resolve.

Sharing a look with his Digimon, Akuma grinned, raising his own hand as shadows converged in his palm.

Evie squeaked as Gatomon and her were surrounded in a sphere of dark energy, toppling over as Rocky slammed a panicked fist against her own, Patamon's wings flared back like a startled bird's.

Reacting instinctively, Jack swung his staff up as if to yank the girl out of the air, the crook bouncing off without leaving so much as a dusting of telltale frost.

Boomerangs struck the barriers and ricocheted off without so much as a solid THUMP of impact, and Bunny caught them with a scowl.

Kim whipped around, eyes narrowed and a stormy midnight blue, just before the same fate befell her and Gabumon.

In moments, all of the girls but Casey had been caught in the murky bubbles, unable to break free.

"Agu!"

"Pepper Breath!"

The flames dissipated harmlessly against the obstruction, no sign of harm left on the surface at all.

"Pepper Breath! Pepper Breath! _Pepper Breath_!"

Frustrated, the redhead turned on her new enemies, whatever fear she felt only fueling her rage.

"Let them go right now!"

"And why would we do that?" Akuma wondered, raising his arm so the bubbles floated up higher, even too high for Deltamon to reach easily.

"You eight are the only threat to our conquest. We can not allow you to live." Devimon informed her calmly. "Together, you are strong, so we will scatter you throughout the human world and hunt you down, one by one."

"But we're going to use you as an example." Akuma added, grin sharp.

Casey frowned, confused.

_Example of what?_

"Fist of the Beast King!"

"CASEY!"

Tackling his partner to the ground, Agumon curled over her protectively as the attack passed overhead and knocked down a good handful of strong, thick trees.

Heart pounding with adrenaline, she rolled quickly, barely dodging the blade that would have decapitated her.

"Bluey!"

Nightmare-sand rose up, caging the Guardians in and restraining the weakened Wizardmon and Deltamon.

"I can't have you interfering, now can I?" Pitch noted, shark-grin in place as he turned back to enjoy the show.

Leomon was relentless, slashing and stabbing with his Beast Sword, the edge drawing blood from multiple slices along Casey's arms and cheeks as she tried to avoid being sliced in half.

"Pepper Breath!"

The large lion Digimon barely twitched as the small fireball struck his face, only growling when Agumon's little fangs sank into his sword-arm.

Breathing heavily, the red-haired Warrior pressed a hand to one of the deeper slices on her side, crimson staining her orange tank top and jeans in irregular patches.

Taking only a moment to gather herself, Casey lurched forward, slamming her fist into Leomon's unprotected side in a bid to strike his kidney.

Hissing as her knuckles met thick muscle, bones grinding and popping, the teenager was smacked back with her own Digimon's body, both tumbling in a spray of snow and loose grass.

Ears ringing, Casey blinked dirty snowflakes from her eyelashes as a faint sound reached her through the haze.

_It was screaming_.

Something wet landed on her cheek, and her eyes finally focused.

Hovering over her was Evie, tears making her eyes shimmer and staining her cheeks as they fell, reflecting rainbows as they fell through her cage and landed on her face like rain.

_Evie was crying_.

_Evie was crying, __**and it was because of her**_.

Akuma laughed, flaring his wings in triumph as the pair stayed motionless under the displaced snow.

"That was easy! Maybe we should just kill the rest now!"

Leomon approached his fallen prey, blank eyes staring into defeated gold, as he raised his Beast Sword to deal the final blow.

_What was the point of fighting, if it only prolonged her sister's pain?_

Bunny growled, slicing through the nightmare-sand and trying to break through, trying to reach her…

"Damn it, bluey! _Get up_!"

It was like his voice came from far away, muffled by the thought that _there was no way to win, no way out, this was it_-

Just as Leomon's blade plunged downward, her fingers uncurled and revealed the device nestled in her palm.

Blinding light shot from the screen, and Leomon roared as it focused on him, a shadow escaping his skin like a dispelled ghost.

Stumbling a step, he stared down at the girl and Digimon he was about to kill, recognizing the device in her hands immediately.

"A Digivice…"

The situation was suddenly shifting, and Leomon reached down to pick up the injured Warrior, setting her on unsteady legs.

"Why aren't you trying to kill me?" Casey wondered, vision blurring slightly from blood loss as her arms tightened around Agumon.

"Devimon and Akuma no longer have control of me, because of your Digivice. It is proof you are a Chosen."

Akuma frowned, clearly not pleased with this turn of events, and-

The girls screamed as their spheres suddenly pulsed and rocketed away, flying off in every direction.

"NO!" Casey shouted, staggering in a vain attempt to help.

"Fist of the Beast King!"

The nightmare-sand exploded into harmless dust on impact, and Bunny rushed to her side, catching the teenager before she fell.

"Bone Cudgel!"

Ogremon's club was blocked by the lion Digimon's blade, catching them in a stalemate.

"Give up, Leomon! You are no match for us!"

"You may defeat me, _but the Chosen will be out of your reach_!"

Twisting the spiked weapon from his opponent's grip, Leomon punched him across the clearing and turned to shove the Pooka closer to the other Guardians.

"You must leave! I will hold them off!"

"No, you can't!" Casey argued, panic bubbling up.

"You are our only hope! Go, now!"

"Leomon-!"

Wizardmon raised his staff as Devimon and Akuma surged forward, engulfing the group in his magic.

"Magical Game!"

The last thing she saw before they teleported was Devimon's claws sinking into the noble Digimon's back.

"Touch of Evil!"

"_LEOMON_!"

And then it was gone.


	16. My Last Message

Shit has officially hit the fan.

You need to know this, mostly because this will greatly effect my updating and generally ability to go online.

As anyone who has read the bottom of my profile knows, I got hints of this coming for about a week.

My mother (who is the main breadwinner of my three-person family, which includes my older brother) sat both of us down the Wednesday before last and informed us that the firm meant to help her file for reduced mortgage was a scam that lasted for about a year and a half. So, the condo she had bought (not rented, _bought_) had been put up for auction that morning and we would not know if anyone had bought our home until the next week. As it turns out, someone did, and now my entire family is scrambling to pack and find a place to stay nearby.

It is likely that the only place we can stay at (and this will only last a month, maybe two) has no Internet access, and after that, the probability of me moving in with my father (who lives two or three hours away, and where I would have to transfer schools) is rather high.

This is a great upheaval, physically and emotionally, that I am still struggling with.

You can understand why I have not been writing much.

I have been comforting myself with a blatant Author Insert for 'Rise of the Guardians' in my imaginings, mostly because I need hugs and I don't want my mother to know how much this is effecting me.

So, now you all know. I'm not looking for sympathy, or consolations; I just feel a reason needs to be given for my impending absence. I hope you all understand, and can be patient.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this, and hopefully I'll be back with chapters for 'Digimon Adventures and Guardian Belief' and 'Rise of the Guardians: Lost Souls'.

Until then, Sincerely,

**ChibiLover123**

**Batgirl18**

**CreativityLover312**


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